This Is War (Old-First Edition, Discontinued)
by Crystallion12
Summary: They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War. [Bk1-The DragonBorn Trilogy]
1. Prologue Part 1- Claws of Death- C0

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **SUMMARY –** **They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **RE-WRITE**

 **(It's freaking - words long. BAM.)**

 **CONTENT WARNING:**

 **Chapter will contain death, heavy blood and gore, and violence.**

 **Viewer Discrimination is strongly advised.**

 **Also, (on some level) minor spoilers for HttyD 2.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 0 : Claws of Death [Prologue of Part One]**

 **-Valka's Dragon Sanctuary, Noon.**

Ramming the dragon down to the ground, he reared up, driving his tusks into the poor bastard's vulnerable, icy blue underbelly. As they sank into the flesh, peeling and tearing at the squelching skin around the wound, he felt guts and blood bath his killing machines.

The dragon's roar soon became a scream, its death slow and painful.

An agonised roar tore through the air, as a resonating thud echoed across the battlefield, as it drove them all the way through, piercing the other side and hovering over the snowy ground, now tinted a sickening red.

Blood gushed out its underbelly, as he removed his tusks, watching as its eyes rolled to the back of his skull, and it died on the spot.

Watching, the reality took its sweet time to sink in;

The Alpha had fallen.

At first, he heaved and panted, slowly turning around, barely aware that crimson blood and guts were dripping and sliding off his tusks, blood splattered across his face and caking his neck.

He looked like a mad-dragon- but, then again, he _was_.

He already worked for a mad-man, so this was nothing special. But, the agony and horror that followed his victory had him wanting to die.

Lifting his dark, massive head, the Bewilderbeast bellowed, as his mind practically exploded; bright, disturbing lights of rapidly spinning and flashing red, black and blue tortured him, and he fought with all his mind to _get rid_ of _them_. But alas, they continued to dance in his eyes, and from the outside, it just appeared as if his eyes were turning into incredibly narrow slits.

Despite the onslaught of pain, he soon found himself gleefully accepting and welcoming it; this was what it felt like to be an ALPHA. The king, and all-powerful ruler of all dragon kind.

His roar soon became one of command, and before long, hypnotised, mind controlled dragons from both their sides flew around his head. Shrieking and screeching, they showered their new Alpha with respect and submission.

Coming down with a mighty thud, his eyes and mind slowly started to come back to reality.

The monster of a dragon decided to test out his new ability.

His mind reached out to all dragons, as he easily broke down their mental defences.

 _ **BOW** , **MY SUBJECTS!**_

The expectantly staring gathering of dragons, the oh so _puny_ dragons, respectively obeyed, practically grovelling before him. They were completely heedless of what they were doing.

Any who weren't in his command yet, well, they were flying around him like little Fireworms trying to protect their pathetic Queen. Ugh, they always were wretched little things. His mind was slowly slipping into a state of what he'd put next to insanity, but he didn't give a single shit. He had _everything_ right now, in this glorious, shining moment. With a furious roar, he rose once more on his hind legs, watching as the annoying, blind souls who didn't see his power and majesty, flew around blindly, trying to find and attack him, while desperately attempting to not crash into a trap or wall, and attempting (and failing) to steal back their independence from his iron claws of will.

His blue and red gaze suddenly whipped to the side, feeling a very powerful jab to his skull, that almost made him wince in pain.

 _Almost_.

Not really.

Turning his gruesome head to the side, he searched the sky for what he was looking for; he reached out mentally, and rather than finding _one_ powerful mind, he found _two_.

Except, one was human.

While he was beyond furious that those stupid Dragon Riders were messing everything up, _again_ , even in _his_ moment of _glory_ , he couldn't resist snorting in pleasure, by the powers of Loki, he had a aptitude for this!

His frustrated roar split the air, and sent tremors through the earth below his feet, but that foolish dragon and its human didn't appear before him as he ordered.

Batting at both of their minds at the same time, he tried to lure them in; ah, yes, he could control humans, too. It had only been on very rare occasions, but none the less, he could do just that. It was some what of a challenge, too, since the primal instincts in the minds of humans was quite low, and they weren't exactly the same race. But, that didn't mean dragons couldn't dominate humans.

As he lost his patience and rammed his full power into the two's minds, he knew they were done for.

He heard cries and shouts of other humans, and screeches from their dragons, but he inwardly laughed at them. There was nothing they could do now. They should have submitted to him when they had the chance; now, they would meet the same demise as that pathetic snowy Bewilderbeast, laying dead and mangled on the cold, unforgiving, blood stained, snowy ground of a battlefield. A place where the war had already been won, even before the first ship was docked at the shore.

Two equally as pained screams tore split the air like a knife through butter, one human, and one dragon.

He watched, amused but almost pitiful, as a black streak crashed into the ground not far from him, the sound of snapping bones and their heavy landing echoing through the icy battlefield.

He snorted, listening as they went silent. However, they were still alive, and he could tell.

...It was time to finish this.

Oo-oOo-oO

 **-Valka's Dragon Sanctuary, Noon**

Drago Bludvist watched. He watched all of it. Right from when the Muddy Bewilderbeast brutally murdered the Alpha, to when he took down the legendary Ancestral Night Fury.

Only when that happened, did he step in, as his Queen had ordered.

The Bewilderbeast noticed his forthcoming, and snarled his immediate resolve. Drago ignored the massive creature, knowing very well it was just its mind slipping into nothing, and just pits of darkness and insanity.

Eventually giving in, the Bewilderbeast followed his 'master' to where the dragon and rider had fallen.

They found the rider laid on his side, barely breathing. The young man's ribs were clearly broken, and he was unconscious in his own pool of blood.

Not far away, his Night Fury stood, banged up bad.

His wing was clearly broken, the membrane torn into shreds. Blood was oozing out a long cut on his side, and his body was bent in a way that made some of his ribs literally stick out of his body. He groaned, blearily blinking, and trying to grasp what happened. When he saw his human, his eyes widened in horror and panic, and only expanded upon sighting Drago and his Bewilderbeast.

The Alpha looked bored, although the madman at its feet looked more disappointed. "Really?" He asked, basically to no one. "All those years waiting for this so-called legendary rider, and THIS is what we get?" Toothless felt some confusion behind the terror and pain, but it was nearly fully blocked by the overruling emotions. "Pathetic." The madman snarled. He spun his bull-hook around to face the Alpha, who hissed in warning.

 _ **DO NOT TRIFLE AND TOY WITH ME, OLD Master. I am a FREE ALPHA now!**_

The Bewilderbeast shouted at the man, who merely grunted, muttering something about 'doing this old-fashioned'.

With a single motion, he swung his weapon around repeatedly over his head, shouting words telepathically from long, long ago, under a simple yell. Immediately, the Bewilderbeast bellowed his rage, being confined in the spell's magical bindings.

As it struck, he groaned, a horrific sound to hear, and felt his _whole body_ shudder.

Drago merely looked on coldly, as the dragon once again became his own. The Night Fury had moved some what closer to his fallen rider, who was now awake and alert of his surroundings. The viking was downright petrified, watching the whole thing with no words and only pain and fear to fill him.

"NOW." Drago snarled, his voice laced with so much venom and malice, it could have downed and entire army.

He slowly lifted his bull hook from where the Bewilderbeast stared at it, entranced, and moved it right over so it landed directly on the Night Fury. The Alpha followed it, and got the idea; its bloody frills twitched, and a series of agitated clicks rose from its throat; it's eyes narrowed even further, continuously switching from extra thin to deadly thin.

Hiccup froze, not needing to be fully conscious, or told what that meant.

Whimpering in a way that was inhumane, he watched in terror, as his beloved partner started roaring and battling, until he finally fell under the Alpha's terrifying, bending will and power...

…...And became the Alpha's own.

Drago pointed his bull hook at Hiccup's chest, speaking a blunt, menacing voice.

"Kill him."

Hiccup's eyes widened, as the Bewilderbeast sent the command, and was received, by an alien-sounding growl from Toothless.

As if he was never wounded, the Night Fury started to walk and partially limp towards him...

Set to kill.

He was a complete puppet.

His best friend was a slave to the Bewilderbeast.

The Alpha.

Drago Bludvist.

And it was all _his FAULT_.

So he stood, and accepted his death, unaware of what laid ahead of that one mistake, which turned out to be more of a miracle.

Oo-oOo-oO

 **-Valley of Echoes, Midnight.**

Dark wings covered the moon, blocking the silver glow from touching the land.

It was a dragon.

With pitch black scales that blended in with the night sky, sparkling and shimmering in the pale light of the starlight, and glowing red eyes that were enough to strike terror into the hearts of any foe, the creature was truly a sight to behold.

And upon its back, a large hunk of a man sat, silent as he stared blankly down on the beautiful landscape most would admire.

The dragon dove, tucking its massive wings to its sides, levelling out over the Valley of Echoes.

As it's name implied, the long, dark crevice between the mountain sides, bounced off loud noises

perfectly; such was the case for a haunting shriek.

Dragons, critters, birds and predators alike cowered in fear, as huge shadows passed over their nests and homes, the sound of wings beating against the chilly night breeze alerting them of the beast's nearby presence. With a single roar, Whispering Deaths whimpered. When passing a cold glare over the nest of a Changewing, the residents scurried to hide.

 _Cowards_ , it thought.

The rider on its back merely grunted at his dragon's statement, veering the creature towards a dark fortress upon the hill.

Gliding over the high mountain peaks, they encountered one flock of terrified **Sand Nadders*** and a dumb, and now brutally mangled and dead Snub-Nosed Gronckle **[OCDS-2]** , before they turned, entering a ring of large, towering and intimidating mountains, that closed in on a rocky, barren wasteland which had only two ways out; flying, or somehow find their way through the endless complex of underground tunnels. He flew up high over the mountain, then dived down the side of the mountain in a curving slope.

The black dragon snapped his wings open, hovering over the huge black fortress that contained tortures and memories beyond imagination. They circled it twice, before gliding down to the huge, desolate clearing at its front. Great clouds of grey dust flew up around the beast, shrouding the already dark dragon in a cloak of grey.

Guarding the entrance were six armoured dragons, standing in a defensive line with watchful eyes. Upon seeing the huge dragon land, they stepped aside, and a moment later, the wall seemed to shift, and open, the result of huge doors sliding open.

The rider kicked the dragon's shoulder, who snorted and laid down. The man swung his leg over, and leaped off the huge beast, landing with a thud.

Drago Bludvist, Shur'tugal, Rider of Skulblaka Deathstar, had arrived.

Oo-oOo-oO

 **-Queen Scarlet's Fortress, Midnight.**

"YOU LET THEM ESCAPE?!" She shrieked, and Drago gathered up his tolerance. This was going to be rough.

Her eyes narrowed, as he rose his voice. "We did NOT let them go, your majesty- rather, we attempted to rid of them in a place that would convince the viking world they are dead." He paused, wondering why he even tried, since she didn't look convinced, even in the slightest. "And," Drago explained, "The fools have believed it."

"Yes," Scarlet snarled, looking ready to slaughter a dozen armies. "And now the _GODS_ have them."

The crimson dragon lowered her head to look them directly, her glowing, slitted-pupil, piercing yellow eyes illuminating the scales around them in a bright glare. Shining in the light, her scarlet (hence her name) scales glittered like jewels. After a silent pause, she made a deep rumble in her throat, and lowered her head to his level. Drago wasn't even a sixth of the size of her snout, and he was only just smaller than her eye.

"At least the Archipelago is weakened now." The Dragon Rider cast his dark gaze aside, trying to muster up some excuse to save his ass.

"Go on..." The dragoness hissed.

Drago pressed on, his dragon still silent by his side. "Without the Rider and his Dragon, the Archipelago is now quite vulnerable- Especially their home," He explained, "We could take the Island now, and surely, that would stir enough controversy-"

"Yes, but we don't need _THAT_." The red dragon interrupted.

"We needed them-" She turned her head on one side, so she could stare right at him with one massive eye. Drago couldn't resist it. He cowered, almost going onto his knees in fear.

She stayed calm, which honestly made things even more terrifying. "-We needed the _one thing_ you let slip out of our grasp... _Poof_ , just like that!" She bared her sharp, white teeth at him in a snarl. "And THAT'S the excuse you come up with?"

Drago stayed silent. Beside him, his Skulblaka Night Fury hissed in warning, daring her to touch his rider.

Raising his voice to the conversation, Deathstar made sure to pour a ton of malice into his voice within the next few seconds. _Remember, you big bag of scales_ , He hissed, _You need us. We are at your command, but go too far, and you'll regret it_.

A little nagging voice tugged at the back of Drago's mind- Hasn't she already gone past the limit? His thoughts didn't reach his dragon, for obvious reasons. Deathstar was awful at keeping his temper In heated situations, especially in arguments such as these. The dragon's muscles were tense with caution, ready to spring or attack at any moment.

Queen Scarlet hissed, nodding slowly. "Yes, yes, I know... Drago, could you tell your little lizard companion to shut his mouth, please?" She looked at her claws casually. "I'd absolutely HATE it for any... _Accidents_... To occur, within the next hour of briefing."

Raising a hand and laying it on the dragon's scaly shoulder, Drago soon managed to silence his dragon.

"Now," Scarlet said. "This is not the first time you have failed me, Shur'tugal. I expect this to _NEVER_ happen again. Sound good to you?"

He glared coldly up at his Queen. "No promises, your highness."

"Very well..."

She hissed, her eyes glowing briefly as she licked her thin forked tongue over her teeth.

Drago repeated his words. "No. Promises."

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N (Author's Note):**

 **Re-write. Can't say anything else, other than I've come a long way, and is now much more dedicated- as in, this is MUCH longer.**

 **Those who read the original will notice the change in Scarlet; I decided to change this scene to a more calm version of her. She knows a lot of things, guys. XD**

 **I am actually proud of myself, and that is a rare occurrence.**

 **References:**

 **Sand Nadders* - An OC Dragon Species created by BeyondTheClouds777. (Permission has been requested and granted, if you are that type of wary person.)**

 **OC Dragon Species (OCDS):**

 **OCDS-2: Snub-Nosed Gronckle –** _Boulder Class. Located in dark Valleys, Canyons, and dense Forests of cold regions. 64 % Female, 32 % Male, 04% Genderless._ Closely related to the classic Gronckle, they share a relative size, although male Snub Noses are bigger, and the females are just bigger than the regular Gronckle. They have a much flatter and square like head, short horns instead of ears, no lumps or spikes for protection. There is more separation between the head and torso, and they have larger wings that don't need to constantly flap. Their tails are longer, but thick and blubbery, and are rather short. Scales are small, soft, and rubbery in texture; barely noticeable, some say, on first glance, they appear to have skin. Colours vary from light, pale brown to dark, to a dark purple and lavender, and the rare forest green; males often have darker colours, and they can either have pale green, white-yellow, or black (often appearing pupil-less) eyes. They are actually quite light-weighted, rarely eat rocks, and tend to have a soft, lovable nature coated with loyalty and compassion- on occasion, females are extremely aggressive in contrast to the rarer males, which has been used to set them apart from most other Boulder Class dragons.

 **-Crystallion12.**


	2. Part 1 Opener- All that Remains- C1

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **SUMMARY –** **They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **This Is War**

 **Part One - A New Beginning**

 **Part One Opener**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **CHAPTER 1: All that Remains [Part One Opener]**

 _The tale of Hiccup and Toothless' prophesied ascension was indeed one to be known, and spread far and wide- across many lands..._

Looking up to the sky the Outcasts, once a tribe as their name implied, they once more searched for the black wings, which would descend and reveal the warm, smiling face of his friendly rider... But they never came, they didn't any more, because they couldn't.

 _Some demanded for his true murderer's head... Drago Bludvist..._

As the rider's father unrolled yet again another scroll from the Bog Burglars, he braced himself for yet again more sympathetic words, and reports of sightings... He had sworn to murder Drago Bludvist himself (as painfully as humanly possible), but their multitude of allies had insisted they help with the search...

 _No-one could find the man, no less figure out his whereabouts..._

The chief quietly set down the scroll, sighing. His long-lost wife came up beside him, sat, and remained silent as they mourned for what had to be the fiftieth time...

 _But in the same way, no man, nor dragon, knew what had truly happened to the dragon and his boy... For the path of ascension, was not known to mankind, not for years after the duo's new beginning..._

In the quiet of night, one husky boy sat in his room, reading, trying to understand. Beside him, his Gronckle Meatlug followed his eyes along the page, being quiet as to not disturb Fishlegs in his thinking, and reading. How she wished she could tell her beloved boy, how she wanted to tell him what had happened... For she knew...

 _Ascension was known to be the last stage of a living being's life, the final journey, which never ceased to end, only ending for the one chosen for them on Midgard... For one's journey never ends, as long as they keep dreaming and believing..._

Astrid, once the love of the rider's life, sat on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the ocean. She stared into the distance, no noise except for the quiet sound of the waves clashing against the rocks and beach in the distance. Her Deadly Nadder, Stormfly, keened to see her best friend, who she would never see again... The one she loved, loved as much as her rider, the Night Fury who would never return...

 _Grief came to all, who heard, who saw, no matter their opinions, and thoughts, for the greatest Dragon Rider, and his Night Fury, had fallen, one more mysteriously than the other..._

It was times like these that would hurt the Thorston twins, hurt them worse than any Plasma Blast could. They were known for loving pain, destruction, and basically anything terrible, but this was not something they had ever actually imagined happening... And the pain was unlike anything they could handle... Behind them, their Zippleback was silent, mournful. The four heads exchanging the saddest glances with each other...

 _But no anger, no bloodshed, and no revenge would ever remove the pain, and it would only soothe it. Nothing could ever end the agony, and end the forlorn feeling they all experienced. And they knew it..._

A Monstrous Nightmare lifted his head from his rider's lap, catching his teary gaze with a whimper. Snotlout, who was the rider's cousin, who liked to keep his true emotions a secret, sat in the dark, rather cold empty caves underneath the island, crying like never before for the one he had bullied cruelly for the majority of their lives...

 _Little did they all know, it was not the last time they would see him... He had a bigger role to fulfil on Midgard, larger than any chiefdom... The meeting of the dragon and his boy was no work of luck or chance... It was more than coincidence, a work of fate, a work of the gods..._

Somewhere in the far away lands, an enormous crimson dragon tilted her head to the sky, feeling droplets of blood slide down her snout, and splat on her gold chain mail, as she looked down... At another dead Bewilderbeast... Another dragon who had failed her... A dragon who had once been an Alpha, only to be defeated again...

 _They would not go down, not without a fight...All evil would one day cower before them, the saviours, and guardians, of Midgard... Justice would soon be laid upon the evil, light brought to the dark, and peace to the world..._

After a traumatising audience with their Queen, Drago Bludvist and his Night Fury, Deathstrike, hid in a faraway forest, the thick layer of greenery hiding the huge shadow that was Deathstrike. The black creature's red eyes snapped open, panicked for a brief second, but found he had only been experiencing an nightmare. He lifted his head to gaze at the moon peaking out of the treetops, feeling the rush of wind at the sides of his neck and head... Oh, he wished to be in the sky, without a care in the world...

 _Riding upon a winged dragon of black..._

As a blinding blue-purple rift began to close, two enormous, bat-like and black wings, studded with silver scales scattered on the underneath, flapped steadily and rapidly as they braced the user for a landing...

 _A rider of the night will come in Midgard's darkest hours..._

From its back, slid off a dark, strong and lean figure, wrapped in a black-scaled cloak, landing effortlessly on the ground with a small thud. Beside him, the dragon turned to gaze out upon the mountains, scales glittering like little gems...

 _And with his Night Fury by his side..._

The dragon arched his neck up to the sky, letting loose a huge roar that echoed for miles.

 _They shall destroy the Scarlet Queen._

The dragon turned to its rider, snorting. He looked back, upon their many years on Berk growing up... The times when they were defeated so easily...

…...

To say in the least, his Hiccup wasn't so much of a hiccup any more.

He found that Shurtugal Hiccup, Guardian of Midgard, and the soul-mate-of-heart-and-mind of the Skulblaka Toothless, Night Fury, sounded a bit more... Appropriate.

…...

Especially as they descended towards one of Drago Bludvist's camps, and proceeded to attack.

 **o-o-o**

 **Part One**

 **A New Beginning**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N (Author's Note):**

 **Yeah, finally got this up. I originally intended it to be up much sooner, perhaps a day at most after I posted the now dubbed 'Prologue'. So I changed that too, I cant think of anything else though. I will say right now, one day when this story is completed, I intend to do a much better, and longer re-write, although it depends, really.**

 **Ok, I may as well say these factors now;**

 **One, Hiccup will be a hot, inhumanely strong, and completely 120 percent badass in this. Because I kinda like that... And he has a scar over his eye... Oh, come on, don't we all think that would be cool? Keep his eye, though...**

 **Two, both Hiccup and Toothless will have NO need for prosthetics... Now, normally, I would have them with it, but there are... Reasons, in this story against it. Please, feel completely free to put any suggestions as to how or why, should you choose to review...**

 **Three, this will have a lot of God-sy interaction- in a sense, at one stage, the 'Marvel' Thor we all know and love will play part in this. And he will be awesome, and fun.**

 **Chapter two is in the running, and is drafted on paper. Should be up hopefully soon, but ill say this now; I make no promises in the matter of updates. ;)**

 **Ok, I'm done blabbering on and on. Laters! HAVE MY VIRTUAL COOKIES!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, OR ANY OTHER MOVIES, BOOKS OR MEDIA MENTIONED OR SHOWN. I ONLY OWN MY OCs.**


	3. Chapter 2- The Man of Unknowing

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains violence, War themes, Blood and Gore,**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – ? / Action**

 **SUMMARY – Instead of Stoick, Hiccup was supposedly 'killed'. However, after Hiccup's death, Toothless mysteriously disappears, and soon after Drago and his army leave for supposedly no reason... Years later, things begin to change... Serious change. However, Drago turns out not to be the only one to return...**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **CHAPTER 2: The Man of Unknowing**

I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the brightness of the light surrounding me- no, us. A black figure touched the side of my leg, my good leg. I felt like I should be scared, surprised, but I wasn't. As the light began to fade, I squinted, peering into the dissipating gaps, trying to make sense of my location.

Suddenly, all the glowing whiteness seemed to intensify, then disappear completely.

We were in a cove. Me, and the big black creature, who was still beside me. The creature was beautiful, really. I looked around in awe, almost dumbstruck. I felt like I knew this place- but why was I here? Was this a trick by Loki? And who was this creature beside me?

More importantly, _what_ was this creature?

It was covered in shiny, glistening jet black scales. Its gorgeous, vivid, bright forest green eyes shone like emeralds... It had four legs, ending in four sharp claws on each foot. Its head was almost triangular, and it was quite flat; with the way its eyes were positioned, it looked like it would have good range of sight... At the end of his head, there were what looked like flaps- ear flaps. Not the most creative of names, I know, but I found it legit enough for the time being. A row of small spikes ran across his skull, and all down the creature's back, were spines that appeared to be split in two... Very aerodynamic. He was truly a stunning creature.

Most extraordinary of all, however, were its wings.

Two, huge, (mind you, they were folded, so who knows how big they really were) not unlike bat wings that sprouted from his back, behind its shoulders. Further down its side and tail, a second set of wings were located, under the creature's folded wings, just visible to my eye. Continuing down the tail, there were two more 'wings', tail-fins that were slightly bigger than the creature's head.

To say in the least, I was surprised to see one of the fins was bright red, with a white skull on it; the wing looked like it was artificial, perhaps a prosthetic- I couldn't tell. Maybe it was normal, or a good thing for that matter. I knew I should be running as fast as I could, away from the creature, but something inside... Told me I didn't have to fear it at all.

Oo-oOo-oO

I tried not to stare at the interesting creature, although that was sort-of the impression he was emitting, constantly. I didn't him to get angry at me- well, at least, I presumed it was a boy... I didn't know why, I guess second instinct, and the actual possibility we did know each other. And, well... I didn't dare try and check...

For a reason I once again I didn't understand, we began walking around the cove, silent in one another's company. And, it indeed seemed I was enjoying it...

And right there, I really began to wonder why a creature like this, who was bound to have

animal instincts, and tons of power; not to mention, the ability to fly... (unless he was actually a mutated penguin from an experiment gone wrong)

…...

Why didn't he just fly away? Eat me? Surely he was hungry... Most importantly of all, why did he spare my life at all? I was nothing to this stunning, beautiful creature of the night...

But maybe he should be questioning me, if we did know each other...

…...

And gods, why did my brain hurt so much?!

Oo-oOo-oO

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, we sat down, barely inches away from each other, just close enough for our comfort and liking. Or, at least, my liking.

Every now and then while we were walking, he would look at me longingly, sometimes coming within a hairsbreadth from touching me; particularly, my hand. But at the last second, it was like something yanked on his brain, and he would whine and turn his head away, and we would continue on our silent journey.

For a long good while, we just simply stared at the crisp blue sky, watching as the bright sun began to set. One time, the creature had its attention on me, as if studying me. I was aware of this, but decided against saying anything- after all, I had done the same to him a while back.

At this time, I suddenly (and rather randomly) realised I was hungry. My stomach just now felt... Empty.

He must of sensed this, because a moment later, he shifted into a position where he could dive his head into the water, and bring out a writhing fish, which he stared at, rather confused for a bit, before it stopped moving completely. At that, we were both staring.

Finally, he seemed to pass it off, with what looked like a shrug... Although my attention was on the slippery and slimy fish he had just dropped in my lap. He enthusiastically nudged my shoulder, looking at me, then the fish. Of course he wanted me to eat this...

Somehow, I wound up eating the fish, which made the creature stop fidgeting in impatience. He seemed delighted, really, but I was confused; The fish I had just ate, hadn't exactly been disgusting or nice, and most certainly hadn't tasted like fish- it tasted like nothing! It was like I had all of a sudden lost my taste buds... Bud.

Oo-oOo-oO

 _Bud_.

That. One. Word.

I looked at the dragon, which hit me again with even more thoughts and memories, all kind of blurred. Memories kept bursting forth into my brain, flooding and flashing, one after the other, like a million voices talking at once, just with intact ears.

Wait- this was a _dragon_! A sworn enemy of my people! My people...

For not the first time, memories came rushing in, now seemingly replacing the ones that had just been there. Picturing it, I could see it more close to looking like the Snoggletog Dragon Migration.

Hold on- Snoggletog? Dragon Migration? Well, the latter made more sense, especially with names... Who names a festive holiday _Snoggletog_? Us, apparently.

In the blinded and confused state my mind was in, something thought it was a _good idea_ to make me subconsciously place one hand on the dragon's shoulder beside me. Most likely, _not_ a good idea.

Oo-oOo-oO

(Spoiler alert for HTTYD 2, in a sense)

When I realised my mistake, my heart could of burst out of my chest. Oh. Gods.

"I'm so sorry bud! I didn't- Wait..." I paused. If I called him bud, we had to be friends at least- because it seemed more like a nickname, than anything.

"Why am I sorry...?" My thoughts took flight through words, one of the many times I wished that didn't happen to me.

Something I those two lines, or the expression on my face, or a combination of both, had to be immensely amusing, because the dragon proceeded into a state of uncontrolled noises, which sounded like... Laughter?

While the dragon laughed, I noticed something rather important- it had no teeth.

"We were scared of a toothless dragon?" I asked, but as I repeated in my head, one word blotted everything in my head, and threw them out the window.

Toothless.

 _Toothless._

"TOOTHLESS!" I flung my arms around the Night Fury's thick scaly neck, loving the feeling and warmth emitting from him. All of a sudden, this one dragon meant _so much_ more. I remembered how we met (which made me cringe and nearly cry), bonded, and everything after that in seemingly ten seconds, all while holding onto my best friend.

I didn't even properly acknowledge his happy noises, or how he returned the hug in best way possible, I was so happy.

To think a few minutes ago I thought he would kill me...!

Kill me. The final piece of the puzzle slid in, with a cold chill through my body, and a skip of my heart. My dad hadn't reached me in time...

Toothless killed me.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N (Author's Note):**

 **Ok, yeah, spoiler alert, In a sense. In HTTYD 2, Stoick actually dies, but in this case, he didn't, and the killing blow reaches its intended target. Hiccup. So I just put in a spoiler alert at the line break before the final paragraph, which you should of seen... Although I believe all regular fanfic readers and Dragonites will have already seen HTTYD 2 about five times already. I know I have.**

 **Ok, so coming up will be some actually exciting activity. Next up, we have a new Night Fury coming into the picture...**

 **Chapter 4 should get a bit magical and all that, where Hiccup says his final 'goodbyes' to Berk before leaving for something-I-wont-name-just-yet.**

 **Chapters 5 and 6 have also been planned out on paper (Just planned, not written), where we get some rider and god interactivity, as well as more Drago, Deathstrike, and this Queen Scarlet...**

 **By the way, who do you think Queen Scarlet is? Her motives, back story, and maybe how she will play out in the story? Do you think she is actually the Red Death's daughter? I would love to hear your thoughts, if you want to review.**

 **Any way, that's it for now. Toodles! HAVE MY VIRTUAL COOKIES... AND PICKLES! I actually don't like pickles...**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, OR ANY OTHER MOVIES, BOOKS OR MEDIA MENTIONED OR SHOWN. I ONLY OWN MY OCs.**


	4. Chapter 3- The Path-Way for Change

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains violence, War themes, Blood and Gore,**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – ? / Action**

 **SUMMARY – Instead of Stoick, Hiccup was supposedly 'killed'. However, after Hiccup's death, Toothless mysteriously disappears, and soon after Drago and his army leave for supposedly no reason... Years later, things begin to change... Serious change. However, Drago turns out not to be the only one to return...**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Ok, let's see how this works... Take note, only verified members will be included, unless I decided to do Guest#1... No.**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 ** _LightningAndDeathItself218_ \- Thanks for the reviews, they mean a lot! I hope I answered your question there, too. I also had a good laugh with the 'mutated penguin gone wrong' thing. **

**_midnightsky0612_ \- I'm glad you feel that way, I'm thrilled to hear I can grab my reader's attention! Thank You!**

 ** _BloodshotJW_ \- Well, does the last chapter, and this answer your request? Thanks so much, I love the enthusiasm and the encouragement, reviews keep me going!**

 ** _TheChanceyColborn_ \- Yes, I understand why and how you may find this all confusing- my goal, is to have this story so in later chapters, it all comes back, and you guys are like; 'OH! Now it makes sense...!' Get it? Thanks for the kind words, and the review!**

 ** _LE3 101_ \- Thanks, buddy (may I call you that?) , the reviews, as we both know first-hand, mean a lot. By the way, when are you gonna update your stories...? **

**o-o-o**

 **Ok, I hope that worked...**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **CHAPTER 3: The Path-Way for Change**

"Now, can someone tell me the shot limit of a Deadly Nadder?"

It was just a 'standard' day of teaching at the Berk Dragon Training Academy. Fishlegs was chosen for the lesson's teacher, and his young students were somewhat... Distracted. How typical.

Lined up in front of him, were the Academy's current group of students, nine of the kids.

They were all within the teen ages of 14 and 16, as was the standard of their level, and what the teens were training at. In two to three years, depending on their success, the students, if they wished, could advance their studies, so when they were ready, they could be trained to become a proper Dragon Rider. And, with that, was the bonding of them and their future life-partner.

The 'Bonding' was now a full-fledged ceremony, that occurred when the eggs hatched... Oh. Forgot.

Riders had to know how to deal with dragon hatchlings- not just from the book, either. So, when the students were ready, they chose (usually with their teacher's help) their future partner as an egg, and they would all hatch on the night they met their riders. Then, they would have a week to help their baby dragon stretch their limbs, get used to their new home, and so on. After a week or so, they would begin their training.

And that's how it would work, hopefully for generations to come.

As of now, there were only 6 trainers, with 1 in final training. Aside from Fishlegs and his Gronckle Meatlug, there was Astrid and her Deadly Nadder Stormfly, Snotlout with his Monstrous Nightmare Hookfang, the Twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut with their Hideous Zippleback Barf & Belch; and in training, was the soon-to-join Eret, with his (rather) new Rumblehorn, Skullcrusher. Speaking of the Rumblehorn...

Skullcrusher had been Stoick the Vast's dragon for roughly two years- until, his old Thunderdrum, dubbed Thornado, had returned, with the dragons that had caused him to leave; the three Thunderdrums known as Bing, Bam and Boom had matured over two years, and were now part of Berk's Academy, Society and Defences.

To which Skullcrusher had responded calmly and respectively, Thornado had taken up the mantle of being the chief's dragon once more, somewhat putting Skullcrusher in a more docile and energetic position as Eret's dragon, who was still young, and in need of learning- after all, Eret wasn't like the other Vikings on Berk; neither was Skullcrusher, in the likes of Berk's dragons, who were burdened with faded scars of the Red Death and the war.

Even with the amazing new additions, the Academy would never be better, or the same...

Because Hiccup and Toothless were gone.

"Six?" An eight year old blonde girl with green eyes, called Ellia, correctly answered his previous question. This brought the husky young man back into the real world, and he could only bluntly nod in response, turning around and not noticing the students' confused and somewhat concerned expressions.

He continued on with the lesson, talking and staring on without emotion, not showing any of his grieving thoughts to the children. This was, until he was asked a particular question.

"Fishlegs sir," a boy spoke up, frowning. "What's the shot limit of a Night Fury?"

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

Silus walked through the dense forest, muttering words under his breath while kicking the ground

every time he stopped. Silus, a small boy, but tall, had short black hair and blue eyes, dark blue like no one had ever seen before. Perhaps the most distinct thing about him, was, well, his amazing memory...! Ok... Just kidding, he had the downright worst memory the entire Viking Archipelago had ever seen...

He was a good thinker when put to it, though. And right now, he was quite deep in thought, as could be seen by his very hard face.

Why? What made the Night Fury such a touchy subject? How could it possibly affect the Chief? The Chieftess- Gods, the riders! The dragons! What could possibly-

Wait... His memory was killing him again, wasn't it? Why would it be touchy for them...

He racked his memory for all the recorded dragons, and their riders... His teachers... Valka and Cloudjumper... Heather and Windshear... Hiccup, and what was it? Ah, yes... Toothless...? Who were they again?

…...

...

…...

Oh.

That explained a lot.

He wasn't only the first rider of Berk... He had been the son of the chief! He had rode a Night Fury, hadn't he? Right... Right, the same dragon... Who killed him about a year ago, before his family had came to Berk... _HOW DID HE FORGET THAT?!_

He was trying to wrap his head around it, when a branch hit him square in the face. Or, more like branched in the face.

With a exasperated yelp, followed by a groan, he opened his eyes, to see that he had reached the same Cove that Hiccup befriended his dragon, Toothless the Night Fury... Yes, Night Furies were the most aerodynamic, rarest-of-all- and deadliest species of them all- weren't they?

For some reason he felt was related to this, he was attracted to the cove. Why?

…...

He honestly had no idea.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

He walked up to the side of the lake, grumbling curses. This had been stupid.

 _Great. I went ahead and scraped the skin off my knees for nothing..._ He thought, as he saw a fish jump out of the water. He snorted. _Well, at least I saw the magnificent and oh so INCREDIBLY rare occurrence of a fish surfacing in a lake..._

He was about to try and make the most of the situation by taking a wash, clear the dirt and dust off his knees, when he noticed something flicker in the water's reflection. Focusing, he gasped, and spun round, now terrified as he heard a very comforting noise.

Behind him was a Night Fury.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N: (Quite short, I need sleep!)**

 **Ok, so as long as things go to plan, sometime hopefully soon,next chapters will come in a package! In other words, you should be getting two or three chapters at one update!**

 **One more thing, I'm pretty sure I will be making the One-Shot 'Remembrance' into a serious story- but I want to try a Collab of some level- Maybe a few writers to help me and suggest stuff. I've already got the assistance of one fellow writer, _LE3 101,_ and please, if you haven't already, check him and his stories out! Seriously, I believe his stories deserve more than they get for the sheer amount of effort he puts into them. ;)**

 **So, if you're interested, just let me know, and I guess things will just form after that.**

 **Well, that's it for now. Toodles! HAVE MY VIRTUAL- Wait. THERE'S NO MORE COOKIES! Ok, Plan B! PICKLES! HAVE MY VIRTUAL PICKLES! THEY EXPLODE! (Reference to _HappyPup1's_ quote, I believe, love her stories). **

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, OR ANY OTHER MOVIES, BOOKS OR MEDIA MENTIONED OR SHOWN. I ONLY OWN MY OCs.**


	5. Chapter 4- See you in Valhalla, Bud

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains violence, War themes, Blood and Gore,**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – ? / Action**

 **SUMMARY – Instead of Stoick, Hiccup was supposedly 'killed'. However, after Hiccup's death, Toothless mysteriously disappears, and soon after Drago and his army leave for supposedly no reason... Years later, things begin to change... Serious change. However, Drago turns out not to be the only one to return...**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **As long as no one minds, from now on, I'll be doing Shout-Outs in this style. If you don't know, basically shout-outs are the writer's response to a Review left by another Author.**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 ** _TLOS-HTTYD-MLP_ \- 'Mind blown' Thanks, oh my gosh, thanks so much! I'm glad my story is like that- I'm not that thrilled with this chapter, to be honest, but I feel like the next chapter will bring mixed reaction between bored, confused and excited... I guess I'll just have to wait and see. :) Also, I'm not stopping, at least not any time soon, so no need to go get the flames from Toothless or Hookfang. XD.**

 **o-o-o**

 **Ok, quick notice. Because of how I'm releasing the chapters this time, in a bunch, any individual chapter reviews will just come in the next chapter published after these guys.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **CHAPTER 4: See You in Valhalla, Bud**

 _Toothless killed me_.

Those words hit me like a freight train.

Trying to close my mouth, wishing I hadn't gasped in horror like I had, I staggered back, nearly tripping. Toothless lifted his head up, now confused. When he read my expression... Let's just say all happiness melted away faster than the close-range sun melts an ice cube.

He whimpered, pawing the ground, his pupils wide and shiny. Crouching low, he whined, begging for forgiveness. I didn't know what to think.

 _How_?

 _How_ did my _best friend_ , _kill_ me?!

The Night Fury's ear-flaps were pressed back against his head, and the dragon had never looked so upset and pleading in all my time. My twenty years. Wow...

The expression 'I'm gonna die young' suddenly had a whole new meaning- a _literal_ one.

"I can't believe you..." As soon as those words escaped my lips, I felt like my whole world just got nuked.

Toothless had collapsed, and basically performed the dragon version of breaking down. With his paws over eyes and wings helplessly at his sides, heart-wrenching sounds that were equivalent to crying and sobbing coming from the his throat, Toothless felt like all the godforsaken fire had been sucked right out of him.

My own eyes were watery, and I honestly hated myself. I only knew one thing; this wasn't Toothless' fault, it couldn't be... Had he fallen? Maybe he had been squished... No, only a madman would think that-

Madman.

Oh.

 _Oh Thor._

Why did his life have to be so confusing?

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

I bit my lip, racking my brain for something, some words that I could use to... Comfort him? Apologise? Forgive? Honestly, I didn't know how to handle this.

I decided to do the one thing that came to my head; Try.

"Hey..." The soft whisper brought the Night Fury to attention, and he lifted his head with a whimper. I was surprised to see the scales around his eyes were noticeably shiny, and wet. Thin streams of blueish moisture trickled down the sides of his head. It was only after that I realised that Toothless was _crying_. Dragons could cry...?

He whined again, behind him his tail flopping on the ground like a fish out of the water. I quietly went down onto my knees, and crawled towards the hesitant dragon.

I reached out to touch him, and he shrieked in horror, jumping back. For a moment, I wondered if my hand smelled like eel, for some reason, probably due to the fact Toothless had reacted similarly when he had the Eel Effect. I flipped it over, and I didn't have to sniff it to know it wasn't the reason why, Toothless was displaying it perfectly.

Toothless was scared he would hurt me.

There was no denying it. The dragon, with paws and wing over his eyes, had even gone the length of stuffing his other wing in his mouth, to prevent anything from happening.

I wasn't sure how to handle this. Up until now, I hadn't ever thought of how you would handle a conversation between me and my murderer, who here, so happened to be my _best friend_. It was a bit on the ridicules side, and near impossible- but apparently, now it wasn't.

So, I decided to try a different approach. "Toothless, look at me," the Night Fury made what sounded like a howl, and my interest spiked over my desperation for a second. I quickly pushed it away.

"Is this what he- I, would of wanted...?" I asked, gently resting a hand on his paw. He let out a muffled warble, and if it wasn't so sad, I probably would of chuckled at how silly the 'Unholy offspring of lightning and death itself' looked right now.

The dragon finally lifted his head, which he then shook and drew it back in.

"Toothless... Please..." I looked at the ground, sighing.

This wasn't going to be easy.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

Toothless' ears perked up, hearing a shuffle, and then a small _thump_ , as he felt something warm lean against his side.

A few minutes passed, and the urge and his curiosity was getting too dire, so Toothless dared to peek out of his protective cover, even just for a few seconds. He was shocked to see Hiccup contently smiling as he laid against him, eyes heavy-lidded, perhaps from exhaustion. Was he... Was Hiccup falling asleep on him?

He tried to convince himself it was just his hallucination, and all the previous events had never happened, and in a few hours, he would wake up in the Haddock Household, his rider softly snoozing in his bed, and his father soon to leave for his chief rounds doing chief-ly stuff. But every time he tried, the more he realised this was, well... Reality.

Toothless had meant to only _peek_ , for only a few _seconds_.

Instead, he wound up staring, and considering he was tired at the end, it was most likely for _hours_.

This dawned on him when his rider shifted, then yawned, and Toothless gaped.

 _How long had he been staring...?!_

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

I sat on the lip of the cliff, one hand on Toothless' head. Dragon and rider sat together over their home, their friendship healed, their souls ready to move to Valhalla, as one.

I titled my head to the night sky, watching the stars twinkling. I could see a group of people taking a midnight stroll, talking quietly. Beside me, Toothless looked at them with great sadness, and when I focused on them, I gasped silently, as tears found their way to my eyes.

My friends.

Among them were Astrid and Eret, too. I couldn't see their dragons, but I had a feeling they were nearby, most likely mourning too.

I hated how sad and quiet they were, how they comfortingly touched each other's hands, leaned on one another... I knew why. Toothless wailed in guilt, pulling away just as I stopped him.

"No Bud... It wasn't your fault." The dragon crooned, and I hugged his head to my chest. "We've been other that."

I knew I couldn't do anything to help. In fact, I was wondering why I was still here...

Was this a punishment?

More importantly, and only now did I actually think about it, why and how was Toothless here?

It was actually rather obvious, Toothless had displayed it easily, a second tragedy had happened when I died. It sent shudders down my spine and tears to prickle my eyes to even think of how, and the fresh scar down his neck gave off a chilling presence.

I turned my attention back to the friends I had come to love and protect, choking back the sobs in my throat. I was barely aware of the mirth of liquid streaming down my cheeks, but I knew my eyes were stinging.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, never taking my eyes off them. "I'm sorry guys..."

"I guess I wasn't strong enough..."

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

I woke up with a loud throbbing in my head, and I looked around, and was surprised to see white walls.

Sitting up, I took in that I was in a room- it was big, in it only the bed I was laying in, a bedside table, and some cabinets to the side. Curtains to my right slightly left open revealed sunlight, so I took it that there was a balcony there, and daylight.

That's when I realised that Toothless wasn't here. Panic flashed through me, no, I couldn't lose Toothless too!

When I looked at the beside table, I saw a note. My panic ceased for a second, as I saw what looked to be Toothless in the writing- Very, very, neat writing that almost made my jaw drop.

I began to read, curious.

 _Dear Shurtugal, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, Dragon Rider,_

 _Forgive us for the confusion, but in order for events to occur properly, we had to put you into a room where your dragon, Toothless, cannot access you. Do not worry, after this, your quarters will be... Interesting._

 _Before you panic more than you most likely have, Toothless is safe, and in a moment, you will see him._

 _In the closet to your left, beside the door_ (I looked over to it) _, is a selection of clothes we have chosen for you to wear- yes, you can wear these clothes, in fact, they're rather simple because we feared you wouldn't know who to deal with anything more._

 _Also, I'm sorry to say, Toothless' Plasma Blast did burn your Flight Suit; However, while I will not say anything, eventually the concept of such a thing will seem... Bizarre._

 _Please, dress, you only need to be casual, and there should be some water to your bedside table- Then, go outside, where you will be greeted by a man, who will introduce himself, then escort you to your next locations, and your dragon._

I put down the note, slightly shocked and confused, but more on the lines of excited. I had to admit, I was upset by the fact my Flight Suit was done for- Why would such a thing be bizarre? Then again, it was crazy...

I stretched before throwing off the covers, and standing. I found that I was in a silk white tunic with gold and silver lacing, which shocked me. Since when was I a king...? I guess this was Valhalla, then.

I walked over to the closet, noticing how one side of it appeared to be a changing room. I opened the other door, finding various outfit choices, all on the same type of high quality fit for kings and queens. I even found some armour, but I passed it off for now.

I quietly wondered how these were casual, but when I thought about it deeper, It was understandable, and I should respect it. This was most likely casual for them, and now that was my expectation, apparently.

I dressed myself in a dark green tunic, wrapping a gold belt around my waist, and I took the time to notice the fine quality of it. Glittering black jewels were studded into the gold stitched collar, and despite what many would think, it was rather comfortable. The boots were thin, black with gold, and little emeralds embedded into the sides.

Should I really be wearing this? I thought about it briefly, before reminding myself for the umpteenth time they had insisted...

After taking a drink, I looked to the doors, swallowing a lump in my throat.

Then, I pushed them open.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N: Ok, this chapter's done, although I'm too thrilled with it myself. Especially the part where it jumps straight to the point where they've forgiven, without explanation- my imagination ran dry, and I proffered to get the chapters out there, instead of having... Yeah. You get the idea. Sorry.**


	6. Chapter 5- Mountain War

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains violence, War themes, Blood and Gore,**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – ? / Action**

 **SUMMARY – Instead of Stoick, Hiccup was supposedly 'killed'. However, after Hiccup's death, Toothless mysteriously disappears, and soon after Drago and his army leave for supposedly no reason... Years later, things begin to change... Serious change. However, Drago turns out not to be the only one to return...**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **CHAPTER 5: Mountain War**

"Come on, you lousy lizards! Move it, or else I'll have Deathstar burn you alive, then eat you for his main course at dinner!" The flock of armoured dragons yelped in fear, flapping their wings harder and propelling themselves further.

Satisfied by master's words, the huge glistening black beast snorted, a spurt of greenish flame escaping his nostrils.

Drago Bludvist sighed, looking around. All he saw was more and more mountain, and it was nearing twilight. As soon as it got dark, all hope for finding their objective would be near impossible, and flying would become dangerous in the tall peaks.

He knew the dangers of flying, flying in the mountains even more so. After all, his dragon was still a mortal creature, in the sense he could be killed, had flesh and blood- they did live 'eternally' though. No Skulblaka to date had ever died of old age...

But nothing was more dangerous than returning to a furious and enraged dragon queen, with fire almost as hot as the sun, scales as hard as jewels, and razor-sharp teeth and claws like swords; and if that didn't terrify someone, Drago wasn't sure what would- Queen Scarlet was a menace, created from the fires of Hel herself. It wouldn't be a stretch to say she _was_ the living definition of Hel.

Deathstar swept his terrifying gaze over his surroundings, looking for even the smallest glint of colour amidst the boring and repetitive sight of cold rock and snow. His gaze flickered, seeing what looked like a streak of gold slither from out of the clouds and behind a mountain peak. The Skulblaka snarled viciously, alerting his comrades.

Drago gave the command for them to break, and they followed without hesitation, swinging their heads back and forth, searching. The black dragon growled lowly in his throat, infuriated.

 _You said it was moving, Deathstar. I'm pretty certain they don't move_. Drago hissed.

 _That doesn't mean its not one_. He flicked his tail.

 _Fair enough_... Drago leaned forward slightly, drawing his bull hook. _But if it isn't..._ He glanced at the other party members.

 _Don't hesitate to kill_.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

A gold dragon was hiding behind the mountain.

His scales glittering in the pale moonlight, he resisted the urge to growl. On his back, in the saddle between his shoulders, a woman stayed low, one hand holding her weapon. They stared coldly at the party of dragons, led by Drago and Deathstar.

 _Please, give me ONE reason why I can't kill them right here and now_... He reached his thoughts only to his rider, lest their enemies might hear them and determine their location.

 _Garitirus, please, we've been over this_. The lady responded quietly. _We grab the eggs, which, should I mention, we know the location of, and they DON'T_?

The dragon, now identified as Garitirus, managed to snort mentally, nearly failing.

 _Fine, but I still don't like this_.

 _Me too_. She sighed, her lips mimicking the movement, but never releasing even the most hushed whisper. She gently rested her hand on his scaly neck, before giving his shoulder a very gentle and quiet kick with her foot.

Responding obediently, the golden winged lizard effortlessly pushed off the mountain side, ducking under the clouds in a gentle glide. Analysing the positions of the party, he took a right turn, and emerged from the cloud cover very briefly, best chances being under five seconds, enough to snake around another mountain and hide once more. It was on the ultimate level of quick and stealthy.

But, apparently it wasn't quick enough.

The huge black dragon's head whipped around in their direction, and it snarled.

A man was perched on its back, drawing his bull-hook. The hiding duo narrowed their eyes, recognising him. That meant the dragon was indeed Deathstar, then.

"SCOUT EVERY LAST MOUNTAIN! BRING ME THE EGGS!" Drago bellowed, his voice echoing off the mountain walls. Garitirus hissed mentally, while on the outside, his claws had tightened on the rock, causing tiny pieces of rubble to fall.

This appeared to be enough to draw attention, because the huge dragon had discovered them, due to three factors; One, he had roared in their direction, two, the other party members were heading in _their_ direction, and three, a huge black dragon was flying, claws outstretched, in THEIR DIRECTION.

While he knew it was highly unlikely and he had caused the somehow noticeable tiniest bit of noise, Garitirus waited, also fully knowing this could possibly be an old trick of theirs; to look like they had discovered the enemy (AKA them), when in reality, they were just trying to scare the enemy into the open. They both had scars to prove it.

However, it wasn't the latter. The dragon hit the mountain, causing them to dive under the clouds.

 _Garitirus_! _My wing_!

The dragon whipped his head around, and saw his rider had fallen out of the saddle from the force of the impact and the rush to escape. He screeched in horror, and dove down, barely even registering the other half of the cry for help.

Bits of rubble struck and bounced harmlessly of his jewel scales, and any landing on his face he ignored, but Garitirus was more concerned for his fragile (In comparison to dragons) rider.

Generally, she managed to dodge everything, but the gold lizard could have sworn he saw a piece of rock hit her left arm.

Not a second too soon, her dragon had saved her, holding her in his talons like she could slip out at any second.

He flew clear off the onslaught, grimacing when he couldn't see the wretched beasts. That most likely meant they were waiting for something to happen, probably something along the lines of an ambush. Drago almost never used brains over brawn, just waiting it out from time to time, then striking with _no_ plan, _no_ thought, and most of all, _no_ mercy.

Garitirus helped the woman back into the saddle, staring at her with concern.

 _Can you continue_?

She muttered a curse under her breath. _Yeah. I'll be fine_. She poked one limp wing, grunting. _Hopefully they will be, too. Remind me again why we need wings_?

Her dragon didn't directly respond, only grunting. He was looking around, eyes glued to their surroundings, which was basically mountains. And more mountains. And _even more_ stinking mountains...

 _Wow, that's a burn and a half_... Garitirus growled, unamused they were playing _their_ trick on _them_.

Just where were those demonic bastards?! Damn, were they stealthy or wha-

"VALERIE!"

The dragon groaned. Never mind.

The female rider, now (more like finally) identified as Valerie, refused to respond, knowing where it would near definitely end up in. Garitirus wasn't so timid.

 _SHOW YOURSELVES, COWARDS_! He bellowed, releasing a small jet of purple flame. Valerie rested a hand on her dragon's neck, trying to calm him.

 _Very well_... A deep, menacing voice hissed, as a black head and neck slithered around from the back of a mountain. Deathstar growled threateningly , baring his sharp teeth. His chest and torso appeared, and the tips of his wings appeared at the top of the peak. _We shall see who the cowards are, won't we_?

Valerie snarled herself, as Garitirus roared. "Don't put your worthless tongue on it, demon." Valerie yelled.

Across from them, Deathstar took flight, roaring a challenge of his own as he began to approach. Close up, it could be seen by the naked eye that Deathstar was much, much bigger. Suddenly, the black dragon's dread-inducing words were coming true, as the smaller duo had been briefly silenced and stilled.

"You just had to open your big fat mouth, didn't you?!" Valerie shouted, drawing her sword. Garitirus pushed forward, with a grunt at her insult. His icy blue eyes locked onto the black dragon.

 _If you haven't noticed, we're about to collide with a humongous dragon and his insane armoured bunch of slaves- and you're making snide remarks right NOW_?!

Valerie ignored him.

Oo-oOo-oO

The battle raged on, both sides fighting with equal ferocity, despite their downsides and advantages.

While Garitirus was smaller, faster and more nimble, Deathstar was at least three times bigger, and his claws and teeth were sharper and deadlier- his bulk made his defence much higher, and a hit from him when done right could turnout extremely lethal.

For this, Valerie was thankful for her dragon's manoeuvrability. Deathstar could breathe fire longer, his blasts bigger, hotter and wider in range; the black dragon could hold his ground for extended periods of time, too, but worst of all, was his colour.

Deathstar was pitch black. So if his tail was coming right at them, it would be near impossible to realise it was there until it was too late.

Thankfully, they had so far been able to mostly avoid this, only getting nicked here and there. This did mean they had to be further away though, which meant nothing but bad for Garitirus, who was highly experienced and talented in claw-to-claw combat, with dragons his age and size... Not monstrous black dragons that made him look like a Terrible Terror next to a Monstrous Nightmare.

The golden dragon eyed the way Deathstar moved; the demon seemed to rely more on patience, than any other he had ever seen.

While taking and absorbing hits, he waited patiently for the right time to strike- he never seemed to show his full deck, play all of his cards; he was like a spider, waiting for her prey to walk right into her trap, where she would kill without second thought, or the glimmer of mercy.

He avoided yet again another torrent of green flames, wincing when he felt the searing heat catch onto his wing-tips. Garitirus swiftly ducked, flying low on the cloud cover. He kept his gaze up, watching the black dragon as it returned the stare. The dragon circled the other, wondering why it hadn't moved at all.

Valerie was watching, equally confused. _Garitirus... You're getting... Oh gods_. She gasped, while her dragon could share her dread.

He was... Tiring them out.

Of course, well, they had always been bit of the tricksters category, according to the others.

They were defeating themselves- Drago and Deathstar were just easing them, playing along. The duo felt downright stupid, like they had allowed it to happen; well, technically, they had. Valerie muttered a montage of colourful words, and took a mental note to think about it later. For now, they had a strategy to figure out, in less than a minute.

Never mind. They would just have to pull whatever they could off.

"Garitirus! LOOK OUT!" The dragon blinked, looking up- just in time. Deathstar had charged them, face displayed in a vicious, soul-less snarl, claws outstretched as he descended, huge wings spread. Specks of red were merged with the black underside, the dark membrane berated with many rips and tears of war.

The golden dragon only _just_ avoided him, dashing to the side, with the seemingly minor issue of hitting his wing on a peak. That turned out to be an understatement, especially a few seconds later.

Agony tore through them both, on Valerie the mental part that came with being attached to the dragon's mind.

Garitirus howled, doubling over in the air as hot blood flew onto his snout, and nearly in his eyes.

Valerie turned around, seeing a large tear in the dragon's wing, that had reached to the wing bone and nearly tore part of his entire wing off. Garitirus whined in pain, struggling to fly as his rider tried to calm him.

"Ok boy, hold on..." She steered him into a circular flight formation, to allow them to determine their foes' location.

They were flying in place around the now destroyed mountain peak, the dragon roaring in fury at losing his prey. He kept shooting bursts of flame everywhere, but thank the heavens he hadn't noticed them yet.

 _We've got to lose them_! Garitirus gasped, nearly falling out of the sky. _I don't think my wing can take much more_...!

Valerie couldn't lie. It was a miracle that her dragon's wing wasn't broken, or damaged beyond hope of repair. She didn't even know how severe his current injury was.

 _Could we lead them into the peaks_? She asked. _Lose them_?

Garitirus shook his head, droplets of his own blood getting caught by the chilly winds. _No_. He said. _I know for a fact I wouldn't be able to make a sharp turn, and don't even start on aerial manoeuvres_.

Valerie bit her lip. Then a light bulb lit up in her mind, a thought coming to head.

 _Maybe that's what will save us_!

The dragon blinked, his mind blank. She could practically see his unamused expression, even if his face wasn't visible to her.

 _Not_. _Funny_.

Valerie cursed. _That's not what I meant_. _Look, just hear me out_. The dragon obliged, although not too happily.

 _If we fly low to the cloud cover, where the biggest grouping of mountains is, I believe we can trick these guys on a new level- They want us dead, no_?

Garitirus warbled, his interest and hope flickering. _So_... He growled. _What's the plan_?

Oo-oOo-oO

Deathstar roared furiously once more, his rage only fuelling his attacks further.

 _Where are they_? He wondered angrily, clenching his talons and keeping his thoughts to himself. His red eyes scanned the clouds around him, his nostrils trying to catch their scent, to no avail. He hadn't killed them, or had he? He was slightly giddy at the thought.

"THERE!" Drago bellowed abruptly, and the black dragon's head whipped around, indeed, there they were.

The gold dragon was flying somewhat strangely, one wing putting on more pressure than the other... That's when he spotted the large tear, and Drago smiled cruelly and laughed maniacally, pushing Deathstar on.

 _Why do I love this maniac_? Deathstar briefly thought to himself, before releasing a torrent of bright flame from his maw.

He didn't even notice the dragon's lazy manoeuvring, or, more specifically, how it was flying, so, _so_ low to the cloud cover; he took it as a sign of fatigue, which he gladly accepted. Drago didn't care either, apparently. Deathstar began to grow excited as he quickened his pace, coming closer and closer to his victims...

He kept firing, the blasts getting more lethal with each attack.

Finally, he hit them. At least, that's what it looked and sounded like. As his latest fire blast ended, a long, agonised howl could be heard for miles, and the glittering shape of Garitirus could no longer be seen.

Deathstar roared in victory, stopping only to hear the sickening sound of cracking bones, and a heavy thud following shortly after.

On his back, Drago smugly grinned, knowing he now had an excuse as to why he hadn't returned with the eggs; he had been busy killing one of the legendary Dragon Riders.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N: Ok, so this is my longest chapter to date... TITLE. SUCKS.**

 **Wow. This took a lot of... Thinking... Juice. Just kidding- I use cordial.**


	7. Chapter 6- The Escape

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains violence, War themes, Blood and Gore,**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – ? / Action**

 **SUMMARY – Instead of Stoick, Hiccup was supposedly 'killed'. However, after Hiccup's death, Toothless mysteriously disappears, and soon after Drago and his army leave for supposedly no reason... Years later, things begin to change... Serious change. However, Drago turns out not to be the only one to return...**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **CHAPTER 6: The Escape**

 _Man, we should seriously consider acting for our retirement activity number one_. Valerie joked, earning a wing to the head.

Garitirus eyed the hologram of their dead bodies laying mangled on the rocks below, his shoulders shifting uncomfortably at the sight. Valerie touched his neck, now quiet. They scanned the mountains, until Garitirus spotted the right one.

 _Valerie_. She averted her gaze, nodding when her eyes locked.

They glided slowly down, not risking a dive. The golden dragon gripped onto the mountain side, folding the wing that wasn't injured. Lowering his head so it was inches above a ledge, he rumbled the signal for his rider.

The woman walked down his neck, sliding off his snout and onto the rocky ledge.

 _Just... Get the eggs so we can get the hell out of here, please_. Garitirus proceeded to begin his inspection of injuries, waiting for his rider.

Oo-oOo-oO

Valerie knelt down, eyes searching for the three glints in the darkness. Before long, she spotted them, but a frown made its way to Valerie.

Taking them out one by one, she had to dwell longer on one in particular. It was duller than the others, and a chill ran down her spine. Praying it was just dust, she walked back to her dragon, tucking away the eggs in his saddlebags before leaping into the saddle. The dragon tilted his head, spreading his wings to their full extent.

 _Got the eggs_?

 _Yes. Go_!

Garitirus soared away from the mountains, flying low to avoid the chances of possibly being spotted by the now emerged Deathstar.

 _Now, hopefully they won't look down, and if they do, well, we just_...

The golden dragon tilted his head onto one side, cooing.

 _Act like a Scauldron_? Garitirus gave her a look, that she read as 'are you serious?', and she tried a small smile. _A yellow Scauldron; come on, they exist_!

Her dragon had basically given up, snorting in annoyance. Just to be safe, he flew even lower. His underbelly came only a dozen or so inches from the rushing waves, his talons nearly touching the water. His wing-tips occasionally brushed against the walls of the gorge, and the cold water that sprayed over them in their wake was soothing against his aching body, especially his wings.

Valerie turned around to scan the sky, relief flooding her emotions when she spotted Deathstar flying in the opposite direction of the river, searching the mountains for the eggs they would never find in the early morn.

She smiled, looking up to see the sun beginning to rise in the East, the early morning glow brightly coating her dragon in an even more glorious fashion.

She couldn't help but feel her breath get sucked away, for the millionth time, seeing her dragon so beautiful and handsome, even if he was still injured.

His gold scales shone with a near intense brightness, sparkling in the rays of sunlight. He was a treasure just by sight, even more so in the sunlight. But most of all, she loved him for his soul. She looked at his injured wing, the only thing that betrayed his look. Dry, crusted blood surrounded the tear, dry droplets sprayed everywhere else.

She gently laid a hand on his neck, before collapsing forward, stretching her arms out carelessly. Her dragon cooed, questioning her motives. Valerie simply patted his neck, sighing. Sitting back up, she went back to keeping an eye out for danger. The first thing they would do when they got home, was to look at her dragon's wing, regardless of what he said.

Oo-oOo-oO

Drago pounded a fist on the saddle, furious. They couldn't find the eggs, and they had looked everywhere. Part of him wondered if Garitirus and Valerie had found the eggs before them, but if they had, why would they have fought them?

He was about to command his dragon to look around the next mountain, when he turned around, hearing a screech.

His heart skipped a beat.

One of Scarlet's dragons was flying towards them, its green scales glistening in the first rays of the dawn. It carried a scroll in its talons, and it looked at them suspiciously when it spotted the fruitlessly searching dragon party, and no eggs in sight.

Growling, it dropped the scroll in Drago's hand, then turned tail, flying off with a single roar.

Drago didn't even have to read the scroll to know they had to head back.

Hopefully, she would be satisfied enough with the death of the Rider and Dragon, that she wouldn't go ahead and kill him and his mount- he knew she was using them, but really, what could he do?

Deathstar roared to the other dragons, and began flying after the messenger, silent after calling. Drago could sympathise with the dragon, for once. He glared at the mountains, deciding what would be better to say there had been a landslide, or some wild dragons had destroyed them...

Either way, she would be furious, and he had to prepare.

Oo-oOo-oO

Valerie sighed, watching as Drago, Deathstar and his dragons disappeared out of their sight.

As they flew over the waterfall, and into the safety of the clouds, empty and clear unlike the mountain skies, she let herself completely relax to an extent. Her dragon released a small burst of flame, happily roaring.

 _We're safe_. Garitirus hummed in satisfaction, and Valerie chuckled.

 _You're injured_ -

 _And I don't care, to be honest. It's no where near as bad as it was a while ago, I'll be flying like normal before long_. The dragon's light blue eyes sparkled, and he brought his neck around to look at his beloved rider. _What about you_?

Valerie frowned, looking at her own wings- one was fine, the other, not so much, but it didn't hurt as much as it could.

I _'ll be fine, boy_. She connected with his loving gaze, all her concerns resting in a few hours time, where she would deal with them. _Just take us home, big guy. First thing we're doing, is checking out that wing_.

 _And yours_. Garitirus snorted, lifting a talon to scratch his jaw. _Then, we sleep until the new age_.

Valerie smacked his side playfully.

 _We've still got egg business, doofus_!

 _Ok, after that, we're sleeping. No exceptions. No excusi-oz_.

 _Right, we sleep after that. No 'excusi-oz'_. Valerie sighed, falling to lay on her back and take a much-needed nap. _Love you, boy_.

The dragon hummed.

 _Love you too, my little princess_.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N: Ok, finally done!**

 **I'm honestly not sure how I feel about these chapters, especially Chapter 4. But, I got them done. Hope you enjoy, I had to do a bit of thinking here! ;)**

 **Also, if you would like to request a story, or have any questions, don't hesitate to let me know- I find it's better to go through hardships now, rather than let it build up, so its so much more worse.**

 **HAVE MY EXPLODING PICKLES! What? I ran out of cookies... I still need to get some more... Don't have time to bake... Never mind.**

 **Crystallion12.**


	8. Chapter 7- Silus and Aurora

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains violence, War themes, Blood and Gore,**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – ? / Action**

 **SUMMARY – Instead of Stoick, Hiccup was supposedly 'killed'. However, after Hiccup's death, Toothless mysteriously disappears, and soon after Drago and his army leave for supposedly no reason... Years later, things begin to change... Serious change. However, Drago turns out not to be the only one to return...**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 _ **BELLA X STARFIRE7745231-**_ **Once again, thanks for alerting me of the error, and thanks for the review!**

 ** _LightningAndDeathItself218_ \- As I have said before, my hope is that eventually, it will all make sense. Thanks! **

**o-o-o**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 7: Silus and Aurora**

 _Behind him was a Night Fury._

Silus gulped, watching with wide and terrified eyes as it glared at him. Crouching low on the rock, the dragon shuffled its wings, growling. The teen slowly put his hands in the air, causing the dragon's pupils to dilate slightly.

Silus could only hope that meant it was calmed a little...

He had read little about the Night Fury (and dragons in general), so all he really knew about them was that once you had gained their trust, they were more like a giant pussy-cat with wings than the 'Unholy offspring of lightning and death itself' that they had been branded in their first days of terror during the fabled Great Dragon War.

It crept down, leaping onto the ground, and slinking over to him. It stayed a few feet away. Now fully in Silus' sight, he was awed by its appearance- It was just like he had read, perhaps more...

It was very aerodynamic, with its huge wings, and the smaller set behind it. He could see two tailfins, unlike the legendary Toothless, who had been renown for his prosthetic tail to replace his missing one, the left one.

He was most stunned by its colours, though. The Night Fury was black, which melded and blended in with gorgeous purple, dark blue and icy blue underneath her black wings; he could also see tiny specks of silver, like sparkling little jewels in the night... Almost like stars. The dragon's feet got lighter in colour near the claws, which were silver. Her eyes were beautiful, a bright icy blue that was also intimidating.

The dragon didn't seem too aggressive, only angered when he took a step towards her. At least, he thought it was a she. It just seemed to fit.

"Uh... Hello?" She inclined her head to the side, making a warble like sound. The ear plates on the back of her head moved up and down, from what he made out as emotions. Up meant happy or curious, pressed back was angry, and twitching was something. From what she had shown him, and what he had read, they were almost humanoid with emotions, and perhaps even stronger with intelligence.

He decided to introduce himself, even if he had no idea what it would do.

"Hi... Uh, hi! Um..." He cleared his throat, whilst the dragon looked... Amused? He continued nervously, speaking with caution. "I'm Silus... Uh... Son of Goothard, and daughter of Pelli. I'm an _amazing_ student at the Berk Dragon Training Academy, and I truly mean dragons no harm!"

While most of it was honesty, the part where he was an 'amazing student' was a complete lie that Silus was pretty certain the dragon saw through.

She grumbled something in annoyance, giving him an unamused expression.

"Ok, I suck at dragon training."

She snorted in approval, as if to say 'that's what I figured'.

"Quick question... You're a girl, right...?" The dragon hummed, the ear plates lifting up cheerily. Silus sighed in relief, he was immensly glad that was over with.

"I'll say this..." Silus didn't know if she understood what he was saying, and if she did, how much, but he continued regardless. " I've honestly heard a LOT about your species. Before they... Uh, left us..." he continued with hesitation, knowing he was entering uneasy territory.

"There was a Night Fury- that's what we call you, and like, he was so awesome! Back then, I was quite young, but he and his rider were the stars of the town..." He seemed to have her complete attention, gods, she was within touching reach! He didn't dare try, though. But he secretly had butterflies in his stomach, they were just so close! Him, and the legendary _Night Fury_!

"Then... Well, they died in battle..." He quietly finished, looking at the purple dragon. She too had become silent, looking... Sorrowful? Had she known... Oh Thor.

He gasped, suddenly remembering how Toothless had been suspected as the last Night Fury. He wasn't! She had jumped back at the sudden movement, staring at him worriedly with question in her wide pupils.

He shook off the amazement that came with the sight, and quickly thought over his options.

First, he could run back to the village, tell them about the amazing discovery... They probably wouldn't believe him... Could he bring the evidence? The Night Fury? He looked at her, then dispelled it.

With a start, he realised he didn't actually want fame or popularity. He wanted a friend. He had both right in front of him, but which did he choose?

What about her? What did she want? He knew one thing, she probably didn't like humans...

He couldn't be certain about that, though.

Taking note the sun had began to set, Silus watched as she braved to sit beside him, watching him curiously. He couldn't explain why, but now he had seen her... He didn't want anyone to know about her.

Berk wouldn't _hurt_ her, he was certain about that, but that wasn't exactly why he wanted her to be secret. It wasn't greed. Sure, he wanted _her_ to be _his_ friend, but he couldn't be so selfish if he wanted her loyalty and friendship.

No, it was because of the one thing that would most definitely happen; _attention_.

He had wanted it ever since he could remember... Silus had always been the sore thumb of the group. Unable to do this, scared to do that, bored by something they enjoyed! He just didn't fit in. At. All. He tried to do something right, but eventually people felt they had to just... Shut him out. In regret, he realised this was the only reason he had tried for Dragon Training.

Silus also knew what she would get if she came to Berk, she would be the ultimate centre of attention, study and controversy. He just couldn't see her enjoying that in the least, in fact, she could get _aggressive_ , and hell, he could practically _smell_ how dangerous she was.

For now, he decided, he wouldn't tell anyone about her. He would just keep... Heck, he couldn't just keep calling her 'dragon', and 'Night Fury', could he? No... Part of his mind kept reminding him that she might be gone the next morning, but a stronger force was almost reassuring him she wouldn't go, so he figured, even if it was only temporary, she needed a name.

"Ok, you need a name." Silus kept it straightforward, and she seemed to understand. The young teen racked his mind for names- it had to be decent, it couldn't be embarrassing.

She purred, creeping closer to him until they were a hairsbreadth apart. Breathing heavily, Silus was frozen, eyes locked on the dragon who could kill him in her sleep. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out other than 'meep'. Eventually, she lowered her head, until her snout rested in his palm.

Amazed, he felt an almost angelic tingle run down his spine, to the tips of his fingers and the ends of his toes.

The Night Fury took a few steps back, fluttering her wings. To his utter shock and surprise, she then turned around, crouching down, offering her back to him.

Silus pointed to himself, staring at her incredulously. "Me?" She rolled her eyes, then inclined her head to her back. "Are you sure...?" The dragon grunted, lightly slapping her tail on the ground.

"Ok..." He walked forward, placing one shaking hand on her neck before throwing a leg over. She hummed In satisfaction, before leaning a little to the left to help him.

Only when Silus was safely secure on her back, did she stand, spreading her wings slowly.

"It would be nice if you go easy, being a Night Fury and all... Never mind, just don't...Don't go too fast, ok? This is my first time ever flying..." The Night Fury cooed in response, giving him an amused look, spreading her wings to their full extent with a quiet snap.

Now he realised he should have been dreading that look, instead of laughing at it. Silus only had time to gulp, before his eyes widened, her crouch foreshadowing her swift spring into the air.

….So much for going easy. Or slow.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

The Night Fury chortled, amused by the teens hilarious antics... Then again, he had asked for her to take it easy, although that's just what she was doing- seriously, did he think she was a Gronckle? Or was her gliding actually fast...?

He had been screaming for nearly a minute now, and she had long slowed into a steady glide over the forest.

She stayed away from the village's prying eyes, not wanting to be seen. As of now, she felt she could trust this boy, but anyone else, not even In the least.

The dragon had came to the village in young curiosity, to see if the rumours were true. She had been ready to go check it out, but then this... Amazing boy had come to her, and she simply couldn't ignore him! She couldn't tell what it was, but something about him stood out to her, in a fantastic way...

And now, here she was.

On the other side of perspective, Silus was everywhere- at least, mentally.

He found that at first, flying, while gloriously exhilarating, was also _absolutely terrifying_.

He did find that what the riders said was true, though. You could truly feel the wind in your hair, the breeze that rushed past you... Only _after_ he caught his breath, could he actually interpret his surroundings and the awe-inspiring aspects of flight.

The Night Fury cooed, so Silus braved to open his eyes, after clutching on tighter to the dragon's neck in front of him.

He sucked in a breath, awestruck.

They were flying low over the forest, before them the beautiful sight of the sunset's rays reflecting on the ocean surface.

Silus was so simply amazed by the beauty of the sight, that he didn't really mind when the Night Fury gracefully flew higher, so her wings flew among the clouds. In motion to her actions, Silus reached up to feel the clouds, smiling as he lowered it.

"I can see why you love flying so much... It's amazing!" he murmured. She hummed in response, veering to the right.

Silus realised how high they were, but he trusted she wouldn't let him fall... Would she? He gripped on tighter with his knees, _just_ to be safe. He hoped he wasn't squeezing too tight, but the purple dragon wasn't showing any discomfort in the least, in fact, she seemed relaxed and happy.

He didn't know how long they flew, probably for hours... She circled the island a couple times, flying high in the clouds, and inches from the water's surface; she dipped and dived, each time giving Silus more and more comfort with flying, dragons, and quite frankly, _her_. He would tell her jokes, and she found more amusement in them than he had ever seen. One time, she had nearly fallen out of the sky...!

He would never forget their race across the ocean, though. When he had finally mustered enough courage, he asked her to show him what Night Furies were known for; their legendary speed. And so, that's just what she did.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

She slowed into a gentle glide over the clouds, humming in pleasure. On her back, the young teen had collapsed on her neck, laughing.

"WOW!" he rubbed the side of her triangular head, which eventually converted into a highly enjoyable scratch. "I knew you were fast, but my Thor, I guess that's the _true_ speed of a Night Fury."

He continued, now excited by the facts that were now a touchy subject. "Toothless, Hiccup's Night Fury, had a prosthetic, so I guess no one knew his real speed... But I bet he was as fast as you, maybe more... I think you're younger than him..."

Although slightly insulted (resulting in a playful slap of the ear-plate to his face), the Night Fury was increasingly interested in this 'Toothless' dragon, and wished she could meet him... But from what they knew, they were dead. She made sure that she talked of the legendary dragon when she returned to her home, if she ever did.

Her life hadn't exactly been... The best. That was before she had met Silus, though. Her prince in shining armour...

(…Well, maybe not that, but some type of saviour...)

The sun had set in the horizon, followed by the glory of night. They flew among the clouds, weaving in between them and over. She even did a few lazy loops, slow for his comfort, but smooth and elegant like herself.

Just as Silus was getting tired, they sighted the northern lights appearing in the sky.

The luminous colours glowed in the dark sky, showering the dragon beneath him in an even more beautiful light; the colours were already similar to the dragons', and her shiny scales made her a jewel in the night. He withdrew a sharp breath, causing the Night Fury to turn her head to look at him, her loving blue eyes causing his heart to melt with adoration.

They looked to the sky in sync, looking at the wavering rays of light. Sliding into place, a single word slipped off his tongue.

"Aurora..."

She whipped her head around, surprised. Silus didn't make a peep for a moment, before repeating the word.

Then, to his amazement and shock, he heard a feminine voice ring in his mind...

 _Aurora_...?

Silus slightly panicked, spinning around in his position, trying to see something that was right in front of him. "Who said that?!" He cried, and the dragon let out a gentle roar, gesturing to herself.

Silus blinked. "What...?"

Then, just when he had nearly convinced himself this was all a dream, she lifted an arm and pointed to herself again.

 _Aurora_. Said the voice, and then it dawned on the young teen; it was her speaking. How, he had no idea, logical or not.

"So... That's you speaking?" She nodded, repeating the word in his head and pointing to herself.

Silus tried to think why she continued to say that and gesture to herself. He knew the voice was her, somehow, but... As she did it again, louder now, he began thinking; her favouring of the word may be what could answer a big question.

"You want..." He stopped, seriously beginning to wonder if he had gone mad... "To be named Aurora?"

She nodded happily, flapping in excitement. _Silus!_ The voice took him off guard, even more so, being his name. However, it ended with a grin.

It seemed as though saying the words required quite the effort, so the fact she cared so much to try his name warmed his heart to another level of loving her.

"Thank you, Aurora... By the way, I think it's the most beautiful name in the world." he whispered, and smiled when she gave him a very human-like look, and basically did the dragon equivalent of a blush.

Silus rode Aurora around the island once more, flying under the coat of darkness and stars, until the teen sadly admitted he was tired, and Aurora, while reluctant, agreed. She flew him down to the cove, landing softly.

He slid off her back, and as soon as he was on the ground, she was coming in for the cuddle. He didn't resist as she softly pushed her head in his arms, in response being drawn close to his chest. He pressed his forehead against hers, as she hummed in satisfaction and gratitude.

"Thank you, Aurora. You filled a hole in my heart, one I thought would forever stay empty." The dragon opened her eyes, shining in the pale moonlight. They locked gazes, filled with the new-found love they shared. They had only known each other for about half a day, but had come so far. Somehow, Silus knew this couldn't be wrong. Unbeknownst to him, Aurora felt the same, and knew her decision as they hugged.

"Will you be here tomorrow?" He asked gently, as she nodded.

 _Silus_. She voiced in his thoughts, giving him a gentle nudge to the shoulder.

"Aurora." He whispered, giving her one final stroke and hug before walking slowly away from the Night Fury, beginning the walk home.

As her future rider walked back to his home, the Night Fury, now named Aurora, sent a mental message to her home, telling them of her decision. Tomorrow, she would see him again, and in a week or so, she would make the request.

After that, they either had an unknown fate, or a great destiny to fulfil... Either way, she would never, ever leave his side... Ever.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N:**

 **Ok, I feel like this is late, but hey... Getting ready for going back to school. So yeah, if I'm a little OOC, just like some of my characters, it'll most likely be due to school. You can blame them. There.**

 **So, I guess there isn't much to say. I have no idea how I feel about this. It's up to my readers, really. Reviews are appreciated, so if you can spare the time, I would simply love it. :)**

 **[IMPORTANT] I have a Poll going on at the moment, and its a simple 'yes' or 'no' so it'll only take a few seconds if you don't mind. I guess this is kinda more important to those reading the stories, but whatevs. I'll see if I can get the Poll on the chapter...**

 **PICKLLESSSSSSSSS!**

 **Crystallion12**


	9. Chapter 8- The Man in Red

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains violence, War themes, Blood and Gore,**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – ? / Action**

 **SUMMARY – Instead of Stoick, Hiccup was supposedly 'killed'. However, after Hiccup's death, Toothless mysteriously disappears, and soon after Drago and his army leave for supposedly no reason... Years later, things begin to change... Serious change. However, Drago turns out not to be the only one to return...**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **IMPORTANT NOTICE: I currently have a Poll on my Profile Page. Please check it out. It will not take long, and it only requires a yes, or a no.**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 ** _LightningAndDeathItself218_ \- It is adorable... I love it more than I love myself... And seriously, you're making me blush! Do you really think that? Well, either way, it's aesome to know someone is highly enjoying my all my OC s as of now... There's gonna be a lot of them. **

**_WeepArcsAngel_ \- Really? Well, that's what i'm aiming for, aside other goals; An 'original' mystical tale that has the reader questioning every character's next move! Yeah, I did want her to be amazingly beautiful, so I can check that off the list... Well, you'll definitely be seeing much more of the new duo- period. Dragon promise. And, you'll find they're going to be quite important... But, as I live by... No spoilers! XD**

 **o-o-o**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 8: The Man in Red**

Hiccup blinked multiple times, as the brightness briefly overwhelmed his vision. Regaining his sense of sight, he was surprised to find himself in a huge hall. Like the room, it had pristine, white walls, that practically glowed in white.

The sheer size of the hall alone shocked him nearly half to death; it looked nearly large enough to house a Red Death, although it would probably be a tight rough squeeze. The walls arched in at the roof, where multiple chandeliers hung with beautiful crystal pendants. The space was completely empty, aside from the multiple statues lining the walls in-between the doors. He could see about two dozen of the entrances, all to rooms similar to his own, he presumed.

What really caught his eye was the statues. With one in-between each door, he could see them in every blink he took.

They were pure gold, shining and gleaming as if they were brand new. Maybe they were; how could he know? Each one was identical, aside from the jewels in their eyes- each one was a dragon.

It was unlike any species he had ever seen, so maybe it wasn't actually depicting a species, and just the general idea of a dragon.

They were sat on their haunches, tail delicately wrapped around its front feet. Its huge wings were slightly fanned, covering distance between the doors. It had four legs, each with four claws and toes. They had long, muscular necks, that ended with a lifted, noble head; two horns protruded from the back of its head, and ear-like appendages were underneath covering the line between the end of the jawline and the horns. It had a long, almost delicate snout, ending with two nostrils.

Each one's eyes were different, though. They were all jewels, gleaming and sparkling. One would have emeralds, and another onyxes. The one to his left beside his door had rubies, another across from him with blueish gemstones he couldn't identify.

Caught up in staring at the jaw-dropping hall, he didn't even notice the man standing to his right beside one of the gold dragon statues. The man was finally noticed, when Hiccup heard his light chuckles.

He stepped forward, smirking. " _Jaw-dropping_ , isn't it?"

Hiccup blinked, then realise that his jaw was hanging quite loose. With a bright red face, he closed it manually with his hands. The man laughed, and Hiccup took in his appearance.

Like him, he was dressed so richly Hiccup thought he could be a god, so he kept any remarks to himself... For now.

Over top a light black tunic, He wore a shiny, near-blood red chest plate, lined with gold where muscles were. His shoulders were covered by the same red armour, and down his arms, he wore gold gauntlets that were detailed with red lines and joints. His pants were also black; his thighs were covered with a sheet of red armour (for extra protection...?), and his knees were covered by a gold plate. Surprisingly, his boots nearly reached his knees; they were red, but gold on the sides, and the top- Hiccup found himself staring at the front, where the toes would be, which seemed to have red slits... Weird.

The man was tall, about half a head higher than him. His eyes were a pale green, but bright and full of life despite this. His skin had a nice tanning to it, and it looked similar to his own. On his neck near his jaw, there was some black ink marking, which some reason sent shudders down Hiccup's spine- a lot of strange things were happening today, that was for sure.

He had short, shiny, smooth black hair, that fell just above his eyes and ended just below his ears. Hiccup was shocked into silence by the fact, that the base of it was a blood red, and the tips over his eyes faded into the dark colour. He didn't appear to know, and if he did, he didn't mind it. Speaking of which, Hiccup could see that glints of red would appear in the reflection of his eyes... Hiccup noted that his back seemed strange, but Hiccup put it to rest shortly after. He looked a few years older than him-

"Helloooo? Wake up, Mr. Lala Land." Hiccup blinked, shaking his head feverishly. He blushed deeply when he saw the man grinning lopsidedly at him, shaking his head at the younger man's obsession with staring at _interesting new things_. "You know, Ellia doesn't really like being stared at, so be careful. She's a little devil, is that girl."

Hiccup frowned, not knowing this girl- then again, there was bound to be too many new faces to count soon... Yippee. Now he had to monitor his staring, unless he wanted to make embarrassment his new key emotion.

Seeing Hiccup was unfamiliar, the man nodded to himself, then cleared his throat.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

"I realise I have once again forgotten to introduce myself, so I shall now. I know who you are, but you do not know me in turn." His eyes glinted with a glimmer of blood red, once again mystifying Hiccup. "I am Shurtugal, Aloysius Fyrnhjarta, Rider of Skulblaka Crimseara Arucane, and Guardian of War."

Hiccup blinked. Now, _that_ , was a mouthful.

Fyrnhjarta- or was it Shurtugal? Now that he thought about it... Hadn't the letter addressed him in more ways than one...? Wasn't this 'Shurtugal' one of those?

Nervous, and slightly embarrassed (for the billionth time this hour), Hiccup spoke up. "Err... Can I ask a question?" He didn't know why, but suddenly the man seemed to tower over him like he was Odin. At least he knew that fact wasn't true...

"Pshaw! What am I, a god? Go ahead, just don't delve into private territory, please. My girlfriend would be after your head for all eternity... And probably mine too... Jeez, would that be a conversation to behold." He rolled his eyes, grinning despite knowing that was actually a quite realistic outcome of such a situation. Even Hiccup couldn't resist a chuckle and a smile.

"What do I call you?" The man blinked. "I mean, you were saying so many new words in one moment... It was a tad bit hard to process, get what I mean? If you don't mind, could you explain what each of them means...? Maybe later?"

"Oh- oops, sorry 'bout that. It's just customary, routine, I guess. Forgot you don't know all this stuff. And sure, I'll explain it all later on the way to the Hall." He stopped, then cursed under his breath. "Sorry, back to the question. Well, I'd like it if you just call me Aloysius, Alois for short."

Hiccup nodded. The man- Aloysius- clapped his hands, some type of motion behind him, then looked to the side.

"Come, or else we'll be late. We're going to the right." Aloysius waited until Hiccup turned and began walking, before he followed, staying just far enough away for comfort.

For a while, they simply walked in silence. The hall was just that big- each step they took echoed, which at first set Hiccup's nerves up.

However, something about Aloysius radiated protection, despite the fact he had claimed he was the 'Guardian of War'. What did that even mean...? He was the ruler of war...? No, that made no sense... Oh Thor, was he confused...

"So," Aloysius began. "You are from Berk of the Barbaric Archipelago, am I wrong?"

Hiccup nodded, eyeing the ceiling- it was the first time he had really looked at the strange things hanging from the ceiling- what were they? They appeared to have crystal tear-drops at the end of gold poles, and the centre was a clear round sphere...

He then realised there weren't any windows in the hall, and the light of the sun was coming from the clear glass roof. He then realised it was about midday, perhaps nearing sunset... Did time work differently here? He nearly tripped when he realised he was probably in Valhalla... But this didn't look like Valhalla, at least from what he had been told for his entire life...

Little did Hiccup know, that this was just the beginning of his life...

His real Destiny.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N:**

 **I LIVEEEEEEEEEEEE!**

 **Yeah, first comes first, I'm so sorry it's been so long. I assure you, I'm no where near losing interest! In fact, it's agonising for me to put school first right now... I assure you, everything at school 'schedule' is going great, but I think things are starting to smooth out, so finally, things will be normal for all of us!**

 **And if any of you were thinking it, yeah, I'll admit I was a tad bit uncertain of how to continue this story- that was, until about two hours ago, when my light bulb exploded with imagination and _common sense_.**

 **I had two simple things I could work with, and that's what you got here- The hall, and the man.**

 **Now that that's over with...**

 **What's going to happen now? What is this man talking about? This movement (I've dropped hints here beforehand...)? What about all these dragons? And just who... Who is this ' Skulblaka Crimseara Arucane'?**

 **Last thing; Does anyone know what language multiple phrases in the story so far are from? If you do, let me know! In a sort, it kinda hints a crossover, but the story isn't, I'm afraid.**

 **(NEXT TWO CHAPPIES SHOULDN'T BE FAR AWAY)**

 **EXPLODINGPICKLESAREMYBAE...**

 _ **(Yep... Never saying that again...)**_

 **Crystallion12**


	10. Chapter 9- Questions are Unavoidable

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains violence, War themes, Blood and Gore,**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – ? / Action**

 **SUMMARY – Instead of Stoick, Hiccup was supposedly 'killed'. However, after Hiccup's death, Toothless mysteriously disappears, and soon after Drago and his army leave for supposedly no reason... Years later, things begin to change... Serious change. However, Drago turns out not to be the only one to return...**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **IMPORTANT NOTICE: I currently have a Poll on my Profile Page. Please check it out. It will not take long, and it only requires a yes, or a no.**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 **As there are no reviews right now, I'll just say this-**

 **I want to thank every single one of you, for reading, following and favouring, reviewing- it means the world to me, and brings a smile to my face every single time. We've hit the 10 chapter milestone. We've also now hit 4,000 views, which I see as a great accomplishment- even better, we have a current total of 31 Followers, 19 Favourites, and 16 Reviews! Thanks so much, guys... I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you (and this fabulous franchise!)**

 **Also, to all the guests, thank you so much! The way I have it means you can't have your own Shout-Outs, and I feel like you don't get nearly enough credit... Thank you so much, just... Thankyou.**

 **Crystallion12**

 **o-o-o**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 9: Questions are Unavoidable**

Aloysius, once again, was the one to snap Hiccup out of his trance. This time, it was from colliding with a statue, face-first.

When he called out Hiccup's name in what was more of a shout, Hiccup nearly yelped in fear, thinking he was in trouble- was it against the rule to stare at the roof? As he ran his mind over possible death-sentences, he felt a cold hand grab hold of his left arm and gently pull him away. Hiccup blinked, looking down and realising he was only a few inches from the sharp tip of a golden wing- the wing of one of the statues.

Jumping, Hiccup heard Aloysius call out his name again, only softer and more concerned.

"Are you alright?" He asked, his pale eyes searching him for injury.

"Y-y-ye-yeah... I'm fine, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to damage-" Hiccup stopped, seeing Aloysius' slightly amused expression.

After determining the young man was fine, the armour-clad man stepped back, running a hand through his dark hair. "It's not the scenery I was worried about, Hiccup. You should know they don't really mind, and they can be fixed quite easily- in fact, once, someone actually nearly burned this entire building to the ground because he was annoyed with _flies_."

Hiccup simply stared at him in disbelief. Then he burst into laughter, to which was soon joined by Aloysius; the reality of it...

Still grinning, Aloysius gestured for them to continue on their way out. Hiccup went back on track, making sure he was walking in a straight line this time.

"All seriousness, if you had collided with that- the results would have been... Ugly, to say in the least. I had an incident with one of the guys, and I've got the scar to prove it." Aloysius proved his point, stretching his neck to the side to show a faint scar near his collarbone. Hiccup shuddered, trying not to imagine what could have happened. The rest of the journey was spent in tense silence, the only sounds in the spacious hall being the footfalls and their breathing. ]

After what felt like an eternity, they reached the doors.

Huge, double doors that left him dumbstruck. The same dragon from the statues were on the doors, perhaps even more detailed. Instead of sitting, the dragon was nobly and elegantly standing on its hind legs, wings slightly spread yet again, and tail curled around its feet; there were two of them, facing each other symmetrically on either door. They were made of smooth gold against the pure white marble, the eyes closed in a peaceful appearance. The outline of the dragon was in a light blueish diamond, from his best guess.

Aloysius had stopped, allowing Hiccup to take in their beauty, before he gently pushed them open, revealing the bright daylight ahead.

It didn't take a lot to assure Hiccup that he was no longer in the borders of the Archipelago he had come to know and love; instead, he was met with perhaps the most beautiful thing he had ever seen- the fabled city of Asgard.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

It was huge, much, much larger than he had ever imagined.

Hiccup had never considered what Asgard itself would look like. Some would say that when you went to Valhalla, you only ever went there- you never left the grand halls, you stayed there until the end of eternity... But for some reason, Hiccup wasn't among them.

In a way, he was glad about this. He knew the men of Valhalla would be Chiefs, long passed their days, great huge warriors drinking mead and wrestling each other. Hiccup was none of that, screw whatever anyone ever said.

Gods, he would probably be better off in Hel, where the other runts probably were...

Speaking of which, he had never understood that. Tradition, and law stated runts were to be cast out to sea, and if they somehow, someday, found their way back, they would be accepted into the village as the lowliest of the low. While the first 15 years of his life were nothing but rough, the last 5 had been like a dream to him... But why had he never been put into a small boat and shipped off?

As he pushed the thoughts away, he allowed his mind to linger on the hope maybe he would get some answers today, or maybe another.

He now came to realise they were on a cliff, overlooking the city. The cliff was huge, more like a rocky clearing. He could see great, tall walls of rock looming over them to the sides, and it dawned on the young man this was a mountain... Yes, there was a mountain behind the city, wasn't there? But since when was there a gorgeous, huge hall depicted with dragon statues and mysterious objects above the city?

He could see the hall was built in a large crevice into the mountain's top, so it created a large canyon-esque trench. Then, the hall was built inside it...

Aloysius stepped forward, deciding to explain a few things. "The hall was built here a few centuries ago- an... Incident, occurred, causing the large trench the hall was built on- it serves as a bridge between Asgard itself, and the Asgardian City of Dragons..."

Hiccup froze, then turned to the older man, dumbstruck. "Did you just... Did you just say 'City of Dragons?'- wha? Since when..." Hiccup fumbled for the words, while Aloysius simply chuckled.

"You see, my dear Hiccup, all life, Asgard, and its inhabitants, have been at peace with dragons for thousands of years, and still are today... It was just you vikings who failed to see them in their true light... Courtesy of the Red Death, so I guess you guys are forgiven." Aloysius shook his head, resisting the urge to burst into uncontrollable laughter. "You might want to... You know... Close the jaw."

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

To say in the least, Hiccup was rather scared. Alright, he had been scared since waking up here, but now that he was alone... Well, that was a terrifying concept alone, and to live it... He was starting to feel queasy.

Apparently, _Odin_ himself wished to speak with him. About _incredibly important matters_. And he still hadn't seen Toothless, which worried and scared him half to death.

Great.

Just add it to the ever-increasing pile of problems he had right now.

Aloysius had taken him to a huge hall, much bigger than the previous, and left him, saying he had somewhere to be, and Hiccup would be fine. While he trusted the red and gold man, he couldn't say the same for the enormous golden room he had been escorted to by the man. Unlike the Hall with dragon decorations, the room he was in now was _completely_ gold. It was almost too bright for his eyes, so he had to blink often.

Hiccup jumped, suddenly hearing the sound of heavy doors opening, and sure enough, the light was soon exposed to his poor eyes- and Hel, was it bright. When he finally felt it was safe to lower his arm, he could see that two sets of doors were opened, each with two amour-clad guards that walked in and stood to attention beside the doors.

He mused at the difference between theirs, and Aloysius' armour- each guard's armour was identical, and had a much more uniform feel to it. They had long, spear like weapons, with a blue-crystal pointed heads at the ends, which looked nice and deadly...

Just as he was starting to wonder what he was doing here, he heard a heavenly sound, one he had feared he may never hear again; a roar, belonging to a dragon, but not just any dragon, as cliché as that sounds...

Toothless.

Not entirely surprisingly, the black, lithe Night Fury was running at him as fast as his legs could carry him, even taking little flight jumps to speed it up.

Without really thinking, he too broke into a run, ecstatic to see his dragon again- it had felt like forever since he had been with his beloved dragon brother. Toothless was just like he had been, just before the whole Drago Bludvist thing had happened- happy, excited, energetic, and silly. The Night Fury had his tongue flying out of his gummy trademark grin, for Thor's sake!

Laughing, he stopped a few seconds before he collided with the dragon, who braked abruptly and stood on two feet, roaring joyfully.

Not a moment sooner, Hiccup was in the air, hanging onto Toothless' thick, warm neck, embracing the dragon tighter than he could remember. So tight, a minute later, he had to drop to the floor, where he was panting with a huge grin plastered on his face.

Both embraced again, inhaling each other's scent after so long, and feeling each other's warmth...

And Hiccup now knew, that as long as he had Toothless, he could do this. He could confront the almighty God Odin, and they would do it together. Him and Toothless... As one.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

One of the guards broke the touching moment, raising his voice as it echoed throughout the room. "Shurtugal Hiccup, and Skulblaka Toothless, you must come with us now. Do not fear, you shall not be separated."

Hiccup placed a hand on Toothless' neck, nodding and taking a deep breath as they turned to the door that was still open. The one his dragon had come through was shut, the guards now standing behind them. The other guards were at the front, leading man and dragon forward to their next destination.

The hallway they walked down was almost identical to the room, covered in gold. This time, however, he could see white mixed in there too.

They came out of the hall to encounter another set of doors, which led to another huge room, although this one definitely was different.

The walls, floor, and ceiling were all near identical to what he found in the Dragon Hall. But that hall didn't have a large throne on a raised dais with stairs in the very centre. And certainly didn't seat a God.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

"Welcome, Dragon Rider, Night Fury. I understand you are very nervous, and intimidated in this moment, and I understand such emotions. You are not the first." Odin's voice was loud, powerful, respect-worthy, and somewhat raspy, but shockingly, it was also gentle, kind and welcoming, traits neither expected.

But maybe this was a first-time situation. Maybe they were lucky; as of now, they wouldn't be able to know for certain.

Hiccup stayed where he was, uncertain of exactly what to do.

"Please, come forward, young ones. It is only right for you to see me clearly, as I see you." The God was huge, bigger than Stoick, and dressed as rich as you'd expect, not only for this place, but a God.

He wore battle armour, with a large cape behind him. He sported an eye patch, and held his signature weapon in hand. His helmet was placed on a table to the side, not in use. On his right shoulder, a raven was perched, black and sleek. It was obediently standing there, watching the new-comers with interest, curiosity and respect in its beady eyes, although Hiccup could tell it was also weary from its tenseness.

Huh. Funny. Hiccup had never been told or read about Odin having a black bird. Oh well... There was a lot of things different here.

As was requested, Hiccup and his dragon stepped forward, so they were standing at the foot of the dais. Odin eyed them with one eye, scanning the duo with interest. It was rather strange, in Hiccup's perspective, but he had only ever heard stories, myths, and legends until now. This was real. He was real. Odin's Ghost- wait...

He'd have to find a new term, wouldn't he?

Finally, after what felt like forever, Odin sat back, silent.

"I must say... I'm glad you didn't turn out like that madman did." Odin's words once again shocked Hiccup and Toothless. It was weird, yet so nice- everywhere he expected anger, he got kindness. Every time he thought they would be disappointed, they simply shrugged it off, or said nothing instead...

What if everything Hiccup had been told... Was wrong?

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N:**

 **So, there's the question. It's out there, and I'm glad.**

 **Now, guys, it's very late at night for me over here, half one in the morning to be precise, so I really need to get to bed. Release a few Zs. I've got school tomorrow, and a long week ahead of me, no doubt.**

 **Once again, I apologise if the next update takes a while. Hopefully, it'll be up within the next few days, I'm hoping tomorrow; guess it'll be up to Homework.**

 **Well, I'll pop the question again; Does anyone know what this mysterious language is?**

 **And, what of this 'City of Dragons'? What's going on here?**

 **Last thing before I call in for the night, be sure to check out the Poll on my Profile Page- It's to do with the One-Shots I've in the running. ;)**

 **PS- I've got a Two-Shot coming up soon, and I think Hiccup Hurt/Comfort fans are gonna love it... Also, the starring dragon is one from the video game 'Rise of Berk'... Does _Thornshade_ ring a bell, anyone? Well, if you leave a Review, I'll be more than happy to PM you a little sneak-peak. ;)**

 **Pickles and Hot Chilli... Probably make a concoction similar to Astrid's Yaknog, now that I think about the horror... Ugh.**

 **Crystallion12**


	11. Chapter 10- The Crimson Scales

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains violence, War themes, Blood and Gore,**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – ? / Action**

 **SUMMARY – Instead of Stoick, Hiccup was supposedly 'killed'. However, after Hiccup's death, Toothless mysteriously disappears, and soon after Drago and his army leave for supposedly no reason... Years later, things begin to change... Serious change. However, Drago turns out not to be the only one to return...**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **IMPORTANT NOTICE: I currently have a Poll on my Profile Page. Please check it out. It will not take long, and it only requires a yes, or a no.**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 ** _Enderrider_ \- Thanks! I appreciate the review, and well, everything! **

**PS- Love your username!**

 **o-o-o**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 10: The Crimson Scales**

"Well... That was... Interesting?" Hiccup looked to his dragon, who only shook his head with a snort, and a amused expression in his eyes. Hiccup huffed. "Useless reptile..."

They walked down the stairs, taking the pleasure of looking over the huge city from the high position they were in. Toothless groaned sadly, looking at his one tail-fin. Hiccup bit his lip. He didn't know what these guys had done with Toothless' saddle and prosthetic.

He still had his leg, which honestly looked as good as new, but he had yet to see his dragon's gear. Perhaps they had it stowed away somewhere?

He _had_ been asleep for nearly two weeks, according to Odin, so it would make sense.

Toothless nudged his rider's arm, seeing his, I'm-so-lost-in-thought-that-I-don't-notice-anything face. The adolescent smiled in gratitude, turning his head at the sound of someone whistling.

He sighed and shook his head, seeing Aloysius leaning against the wall, one leg crossed lazily over the other while he inspected his nails. He turned his head up, giving him that lop-sided grin before standing up straight.

"Wow," Hiccup said, "Dramatic entrance much?"

"You think that's dramatic?" Aloysius asked, snorting. "In a minute, I'll give you dramatic."

Oo-oOo-oO

"Try me." Hiccup placed a hand on Toothless' thick neck, smiling. "I'm taking you and Toothless have been acquainted?" He questioned, and the man nodded, winking at Toothless to Hiccup's confusion. Toothless gave him a gummy smile.

"Well, if dramatic is what you want..." he grinned, stepping back towards the edge. Hiccup frowned. "Then I guess that's what you're gonna get!" And with that statement, he allowed himself to simply fall off. Hiccup yelped, about to run forward, when he saw Toothless' excited face, and amusement.

"Bud, he just-" Hiccup never finished his sentence, because he heard a loud _swoosh_ , and multiple wingbeats, and his jaw dropped as Aloysius came back into sight.

He was flying.

As in, flying on his own.

Hiccup simply stared, jaw hanging loose, as Aloysius grinned smugly, and did a loop in the evening air before gently flying over, inches away from him.

"H-h-ho-how?! What- What are you?!" Hiccup took a step back, staring as Aloysius landed softly on the ground. Now in front of him, Hiccup could see the wings better. They were large, having a huge wingspan. He estimated they were about 12 feet wide, nearly two times his height. They were a glistening blood red, with their tips fading into a darker shade. There were 5 folds, and he could see a claw, probably with the purpose of gripping. They shimmered in the sun, folding smoothly to his sides with a slight flutter. (Yeah, fold those big red babies!)

Aloysius I-have-giant-dragon-wings chuckled slightly, the same red glint coming to his eyes, the same colour as his wings. "I'm a Humanblaka, as we are called- a winged human. You see, because of the bond me and my partner share..." He swiftly spread one wing, creating an almost metallic ringing sound as he did, like a sword out of a sheath.

"I have her wings." He smirked, extending the wing in and out, as if he was testing it, before bringing it back. He rested his wings to his hip, at the joints pressing the 'fingers' against his back, the small claws at the end brushing against his spine.

Hiccup shook his head, trying to settle his shock and amazement. As he repeated Aloysius' previous line in his head, he snapped to immediate confusion. "Her wings? Who...?"

Aloysius grinned, and he clapped, which was followed by Toothless pounding on the ground and making a drum-roll. Hiccup frowned, inclining his head to the side in confusion. Toothless was chortling in amusement, while Aloysius was desperately trying to stifle his giggles.

"Presenting, Skulblaka Crimseara Arucane!"

A huge roar resounded through the air that seemed to tremble, as a huge glistening red dragon came into his wide eyed sights.

Oo-oOo-oO

Hiccup watched, jaw dropped and eyes wide, as Crimseara hovered in the orange sky.

She was _beautiful_. Absolutely stunning.

Crimseara, as Aloysius had called her before, was huge, probably two times bigger than a Typhoomerang, and suddenly, the humongous, wide halls all over Asgard made sense.

Her jewel like scales glittered, sparkles and shone, like little rubies in the sun. Her scales were a blood red, crimson as her fearsome name implied. Down her underside and bottom jaw, the red was a lighter shade, and down her spine was a darker shade in reverse. Sharp, golden spikes ran down her neck, back and tail along her spine. Her eyes were a warm orange, melting into her blazing scales.

She had a head almost like a Monstrous Nightmares, with a long snout and two nostrils, but it wasn't flat or too long. At the back of her head, there were two ivory white horns curving slightly upward, and underneath along the side of her jaw, she had appendage-like ears, like those Toothless had. She had a long, thick, muscular neck, and a strong collarbone. Her torso was slim and light in colour, almost like a bird's.

She had four legs, each foot having four toes and ivory white claws.

Her entire body was curved with lithe muscle, no doubt from taking off, and fighting, and possibly intense training- who knows what she had been through, what with the scars he could see sprinkled over her body.

Her long tail ended with two tail-fins, but they were a different shape and size to Toothless'. Hiccup found himself unable to draw connections between the two dragons, especially as he looked to her two sets of wings. Her first pair were absolutely enormous, and possibly three times the length of her body from nose to tail-tip. The underneath of the wings was a very pale red, and the membrane had multiple tears and rips at its edges. The second pair were like Toothless'; a smaller pair, which looked to be gliding aids.

Crimseara was unlike any dragon he'd ever seen- her species, he had no idea. For clues, perhaps she was a relative of a Monstrous Nightmare, or maybe related to the Night Fury? (he got hopeful there.)

No doubt, she was a combination of deadly and beautiful.

He watched, awe shining in his emerald eyes, as she landed with a dull thud. Her talons clicked softly on the white stone, and she smoothly folded her large wings to her sides with her eyes blinking.

Aloysius took her large head into his arms for a brief moment, stroking her scaly cheek, and she growled quietly, before escaping his arms, lifting her shimmering head to look directly at them.

Crimseara's bright eyes locked onto them, a small puff of smoke rising from her nostrils. She inspected them with slightly narrowed pupils, rumbling low In her throat. After what felt like an eternity, her pupils dilated a bit, and she lowered her head to a more comfortable angle.

Then, to him and Toothless' utter shock, she spoke.

 _Greetings, Hiccup, Toothless_. Her voice was soft and elegant, flawless, but held a type of firm power and a deadly edge.

It rang in their minds, and Hiccup realised she was speaking to them telepathically. He blinked, unable to believe what was actually happening; part of him expected to just wake up back on Berk, as if nothing had ever happened and all was normal and right.

"Did she just..."

Aloysius nodded. Crimseara hummed, moving her head closer to them. _I am speaking to you, telepathically, at least. I cannot speak like you humans do, I'm afraid, but I do speak many languages_. She glanced over to her rider, pupils wide with affection. _Alois, do they know yet_? Aloysius shook his head, and she seemed to growl in disapproval. _Oh, that sucks ba_ -

"Crimseara..." Aloysius growled in a threatening tone, and she stopped. Her eyes widened, and, unbelievably, she _brought_ a paw up and _slapped it_ over _her eyes_. That was the first time Hiccup ever saw a dragon _actually_ face-palm.

 _Forgive me, young-lings_. _It is the weekend, and you know what that means_? Aloysius snorted, muttering something about her low IQ. _I am an idiot, as Aloysius just so nicely explained using his taunting IQ levels strategy_. _Great, right_?

Hiccup found himself snickering, and when he glanced over his shoulder, he could see Toothless chortling too- wait, was his snout heated up... Was his dragon... _Smitten_?!

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N:**

 **'Giggling over here' Oh, sorry, guys! Didn't see you there- ok, hold on...**

 **Yeah, so firstly, my apologies for the delay. I might make a few of these breaks, simply so other fanfics I've got going can shine. :)**

 **And... I couldn't help myself with Toothless. He's just lovin' those curv- 'Smack'**

 **PS- If you look, you'll probably find quite a few somewhat subtle references to my other fanfiction CYFTLT, and an entire other franchise that a lot of stuff here comes from... Great Dragon Theory. So. Many. Lectures. (Birthday Leap, much?)**

 **GIANT PICKLEZ 'N' COOKIEZZ!**

 **Crystallion12**


	12. Chapter 11- Don't Listen to a Word I Say

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains violence, War themes, Blood and Gore,**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – ? / Action**

 **SUMMARY – Instead of Stoick, Hiccup was supposedly 'killed'. However, after Hiccup's death, Toothless mysteriously disappears, and soon after Drago and his army leave for supposedly no reason... Years later, things begin to change... Serious change. However, Drago turns out not to be the only one to return...**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **IMPORTANT NOTICE: I currently have a Poll on my Profile Page. It Is for 'Reckless or Selfless?' and is about naming the Deathsong.**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 ** _My name is mine_ \- Yup! You're correct- there are some changes and alterations, though. All this will be revealed in due time, but I'll say this right now; Eragon and Saphira will _NOT_ appear in this fanfiction. Ironically, this should be a crossover... Eh. Thx for the review! (PS- Lol, your name is so true!)**

 **Also, thanks to all you lovely peeps- I love you! DRAGONITES UNITE!**

 **o-o-o**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 11: Don't Listen to a Word I Say**

A whoosh of air swept across the city. Above the heads of the citizens below, a loud, vibrating noise ran out, to which was shortly followed by the sound of a man-handled horn. Many shouts could be heard, as they bustled around, gathering around a landing platform.

"Are they back?"

"Don't just stand there, they could be injured!"

"What about the eggs?"

"Get Leila and Archados!"

"ENOUGH!"

Silence enveloped the city. The citizens parted, slightly bowing their heads, and fanning their wings, twitching and making soft, hissing sounds. Their companions did so as well, every creature, every life force, bowing or at least showing respect to her.

The people of the city all bore large wings, the same as their soul-mates, the dragons.

Possessing controllable magic, wings, incredible knowledge, and the ability to read minds and destroy entire villages, they were terrifying, beautiful, mysterious, and lethally dangerous- and that was without weapons, or their allies.

One of these extraordinary beings landed, her wings stilling and slowly folding by her sides. She wore a long, elegant silver dress, studded with amethysts and emeralds; her wings were allowed freedom from holes in the back, allowing them complete manoeuvrability. She strode forward, making smooth gentle gestures with her hands to request them to rise, to which was obliged. By her side, a huge tiger walked gracefully, while behind her, two large Lindworms **[1]** followed in guard, eyeing their surroundings.

She looked around, her eyes firm but calm and gentle. "We shall wait for them, the rift will open soon..." She glanced to the sky, the inside of her iris brightening inhumanely. One of the people spoke up, his voice quiet and calm. "...Very soon, I can begin to feel it, Leila."

Leila nodded in understanding, stroking the large cat beside her. Before long, nods and murmurs of agreement for his statement were heard, as the presence became stronger in each of their advanced minds.

She lifted her head, making a soft clicking sound with her tongue, causing her tiger to calm and sit, and the wingless dragon guards to step forward, standing in a more circular formation.

She had a medical team on stand-by.

She had learned the hard way, that they had to be ready for anything.

Oo-oOo-oO

By the time the sound suddenly re emerged, much louder now, followed by a humming like vibration, it was sunset. All was abruptly silent, until a huge whoosh was heard. In the yellow-orange sky, it was as if the sky itself had been torn by a dragon's claw- a huge, purple-gold tear had appeared, glowing brightly, creating a steady burring noise.

A thundering roar came through the gap, followed by the arrival of a huge, gold dragon, diving out of the tear. Almost immediately after, it closed with a pop, as gold and purple sparkles fell and dissolved in the air, replaced a gentle, sparkling breeze that guided the dragon to the landing platform almost completely silently. It left just as its paws nearly touched the edge, causing the dragon to flap his wings to gently land.

This dragon was none other than Garitirus, who had just returned, on his back the Dragon Rider Valerie.

Garitirus shuffled his wings, wincing at the flash of pain in one of them. He grumbled his thanks to the wind, (and, believe it or not, my dear reader) who in turn made a gentle shimmering sound, before disappearing into thin air, leaving nothing but an angelic ringing noise that soon ended.

Smiling, Leila stepped forward, walking up to the dragon and its rider.

"Welcome back, Shurtugal Valerie, Skulblaka Garitirus." She paused, quietly inclining her wings down, fanning the outer edge, and lowering her head ever so slightly. Valerie was seated upright in her saddle, one hand resting on her dragon's muscular neck.

"No need to be courteous in our return, Leila, you know better."

"Eh, well, I was just messing with you, miss we're-all-equal. Although I do like that philosophy, we cannot say such things."

Valerie snorted in a draconian way, before her eyes gained a sad glint that made her pupils widen. "I am aware of that, it is one of things I have learned to accept... I never even considered out-living my son when he entered my life, but here I am, where he is no more."

Leila tapped Garitirus' shoulder, bearing a sad smile as she reached up on her tip-toes to gently touch the other rider's hand, squeezing her fingers re-assuringly.

"And I'm sorry for your loss, Valla. I only heard yesterday from my father. You had already left, so I could not see you."

"Think nothing of it- he would not wish you to be sad."

Valerie made a motion with one wing, and that was when the other was noticed. Leila frowned worriedly, immediately taking flight and lifting Leila to the ground. Said woman turned to her, smiling gratefully.

"Please, someone alert the healers." A dark blue dragon roared, volunteering. Leila nodded, telling her fellow rider to sit, as she began to inspect the gold dragon, eventually seeing his wing. She turned to Valerie. "How?"

"He took us off guard." Valerie muttered, pulling the saddlebags off of the dragon. Leila glared, annoyed she had ignored the request to stay down. She figured it wouldn't make much difference.

"Deathstar and Drago?"

"Who else?"

"Good point. As far as we know, only Drago controls dragons the way he does... But there are countless masses of people and dragons who would do _anything_ to kill a Dragon Rider or its Dragon... That's just the cruelty of the twisted mind."

Valerie nodded slowly, sitting on Garitirus' left front paw with the saddlebags beside her feet. She picked one up, flipping open the fabric storage.

Within, was a vivid green, dragon egg, shining and shimmering in the remaining sunlight. Valerie ran a hand over the cold and only slightly warm, smooth surface, feeling a tiny vibration within. She beamed, showing Leila who had just emerged from the other side of her dragon. When the sight reached her, the lady's smile reached her eyes, and she hurried over. She ran her hand over the egg, laughing.

Oo-oOo-oO

"It's alive?" She asked, in disbelief.

"Yeah, I think they all are..."

"They all?! W- What?"

Valerie chuckled, taking the green egg and slipping it back in its bag, before picking up another. She opened it, revealing a yellow-orange egg, like the colour of sunset. Once again, it was the same temperature, a good sign. Leila was still in shock, but smiling none the less. She took that egg into her lap, but then frowned as Valerie opened the last, and looked on the verge of crying.

"What's wrong? You said..." Valerie showed her the sea blue egg, looking almost grey, dull as dull could be. Leila closed her eyes, sighing sadly.

"It's gone..." She whispered, looking back at the orange egg in her lap.

It may not sound like much...

...But one less dragon was a tragedy for the entire Earth.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N:**

 **Huh. Well, that's one way of saying that, I guess... So, that's pretty much all for that little story arch. From here to around Chapter 30, this fanfic mainly focuses on Hiccup, Toothless, Silus, and Berk.**

 **It's kinda funny- I was literally on this today for two minutes.**

 **That's because I had already written this chapter, before 10, 11, and possibly even 9. When I realised I wanted more Hiccup and Toothless between the space, I changed it up a bit.**

 **Now, I think you guys will be either be pleased, or uncertain, to hear that this fanfic is confirmed to go on for at least 50 chapters. The important stuff happens from chapter 30 and onward- which also so happens to be when the violence and blood and gore kicks in... Great. I'm evil.**

 **Next Chapter:**

 **Chapter 12- Awkward...**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD, SADLY...**

 **I DO OWN MY LOVE, THOUGH! THAT COUNTS! (Right...?)**

 **Crystallion12**


	13. Chapter 12- Awkward

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains violence, War themes, Blood and Gore,**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – ? / Action**

 **SUMMARY – Instead of Stoick, Hiccup was supposedly 'killed'. However, after Hiccup's death, Toothless mysteriously disappears, and soon after Drago and his army leave for supposedly no reason... Years later, things begin to change... Serious change. However, Drago turns out not to be the only one to return...**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **IMPORTANT NOTICE: I currently have a Poll on my Profile Page. It Is for 'Reckless or Selfless?' and is about naming the Deathsong.**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 ** _RUBYJEMS-_ Haha, thanks! But seriously, it's not that good. 'Looks over to my beloved fellow authors' They're the awesome ones. All of you guys. Thanks for the kind words and the review, it means a lot! :)**

 ** _xlight02_ \- And... Here you go! Are you satisfied, my dear Dragonite? :P Thx for the review!**

 **Also, thanks to all you lovely peeps- I love you! DRAGONITES UNITE!**

 **o-o-o**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 12: Awkward...**

Hiccup woke to the sound of a dragon's snuffling, right against his ear where a cold snout was pressed against.

Blearily opening his eyes, he adjusted to his surroundings. He was in the same room as the day before- if time worked the same way here, that was. For all he knew, years could have passed on Berk, whilst it was minutes here.

For a dull moment, he wondered if this was all a long dream. But nothing backed it up. At all.

Wishing for nothing more than to go back to sleep, he shuffled back in, and rolled over. Rolling right into his dragon's claws. He yelped in shock, the black scales colliding with his hands. He heard a faint grunt, and he sat against the back board.

Toothless was in his bed. He didn't think this could get any weirder.

His Night Fury was laid in a curled up position on his side, one wing tucked to his body, the other draped over the edge. His head was resting on the pillow, only a hairsbreadth away from where his nose had been a short while ago. Hiccup was simply confused, trying to understand his dragon's motives. Why would his dragon _sleep_ with _him_?

He had a crazy idea, but it was horrendous and disturbing. So, he settled for the whole, 'he's so protective he has to sleep with me now, in the same bed'... And that sounded even worse.

Hiccup was barely aware that Aloysius had come in, looking at them with amusement and surprise shining in his eyes. He looked up at the man, hoping for some answers.

"Help?" He asked, desperate.

Aloysius bit his lower lip, walking forward. "I really don't know, kid..." He explained, looking away. "I guess, it's just something you'll need to figure out... In due time, you'll understand, I think. Now- Why he's even here? Well, he refused to leave you last night after you fell asleep, so... We just allowed him in. He's not that big yet, so it was fine and approved."

Hiccup nodded, still slightly disturbed. "So Alois..." he said, heart still pounding, "This is... Alright? I don't know, I guess, it just seems a little... Gah, how do I say this? Wrong, weird? Inappropriate?"

Aloysius simply chuckled, shaking his head fondly, as if reminiscing pleasant memories. "I wouldn't worry about it too much; you'll learn about this, one way or another... Well, to be honest, _everyone_ who has a dragon should know... Although a LOT don't. But-" He paused, spreading a red wing in... A gesture? "-Like I said, you'll figure it out, and eventually, you will understand."

The Humanblaka, as he called himself, clapped his hands. "Now, the reason I came here... Well, that's a slightly different topic."

Hiccup inclined his head, confused. The man looked at him seriously.

"One that involves your REAL destiny."

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N:**

 **Summary of the chapter: IT. SUCKS.**

 **This was originally intended to be a lot more explanatory, but...**

 **That would take the fun out of it. So, Hiccup and Toothless will know their destiny, but YOU won't. Although I think this story will kinda make it obvious...**

 **Also, Chapter 11's 'NEXT CHAPTER' has been changed to the new title.**

 **Next Chapter:**

 **Chapter 13- Pyres of the Alpha**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD**

 **Crystallion12**


	14. Chapter 13- Pyres of the Alpha

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains violence, War themes, Blood and Gore,**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – ? / Action**

 **SUMMARY – Instead of Stoick, Hiccup was supposedly 'killed'. However, after Hiccup's death, Toothless mysteriously disappears, and soon after Drago and his army leave for supposedly no reason... Years later, things begin to change... Serious change. However, Drago turns out not to be the only one to return...**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **[NO SHOUTOUTS]**

 **IMPORTANT WARNING: Content ahead includes dragon reap, although the event does not occur in the chapter. The content below is for sensible and mature audiences only. Reader Discrimination is advised. Don't like (more like mind, it's that bad), Don't read, you know the drill. And I can't believe I even wrote this...**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 13: Pyres of the Alpha**

 _Approximately a week prior to Hiccup's disappearance..._

Thunder crackled, and lightning illuminated the horrifying remains of the scene.

A blood red dragon stood over the unconscious Bewilderbeast, purring. Her eyes were narrowed in pleasure, oh, that had been good. Despite this, she eyed the limp dragon with amusement in her eyes.

And the females are supposed to be the ones who moan.

To be utterly honest, she had never had any sexual intercourse with any dragon; well, before now. She hadn't really considered it before now, and had never had reason to do so.

But if she really wanted the proper authority of a Queen, she would need to have actually mated with a dragon, an Alpha. She could of reaped him before, but she didn't want to. Those who mated with a King only became a Princess, so that way, there could only actually be one Queen of dragons.

Yeah, so it was quite horrible, cruel and dark. But he was her slave... So she guessed he was just a pleasure slave now. Then again, who knew what he might do to her in return when he woke up. Ironically, he was still the Alpha. The only reason he had actually allowed her to enter his private space, was because she had forced him to surrender- and, well, he couldn't fight her, either way, he _was_ simply nothing compared to _her,_ he was _only_ a Bewilderbeast.

Her gaze flickered to the blood gathered around him, and grimaced. It _was_ disgusting.

But yet, it was so necessary, and although she wouldn't admit it, she had liked the whole... Exchange. She should consider this more often... She looked at him again, on the verge of pouncing on him like she had three hours ago.

Scarlet shook her massive head. No... No, he had to die.

As much as she almost didn't want to, she knew it was necessary. When he died, she would immediately rise to power...

"It is a pity, isn't it, love?" She sighed in perfect Norse, to which most mortals would be confused by. "I would of loved to keep you longer..." With a glint of mocking remorse in her eyes, she inspected her claws. She lowered her head silently, knowing what she was about to do.

"Oh my love, do sleep well..."

And she snapped his neck, the sickening crack resonating off the cliff walls for miles.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N:**

… **...I have no news, so... How am I going to sleep tonight...Please don't hate me...**

 **I'm evil. And disgusting. Hence the warning...**

 **Crystallion12**


	15. Chapter 14- Mysteries of the Murderous

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains violence, War themes, Blood and Gore,**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – ? / Action**

 **SUMMARY – Instead of Stoick, Hiccup was supposedly 'killed'. However, after Hiccup's death, Toothless mysteriously disappears, and soon after Drago and his army leave for supposedly no reason... Years later, things begin to change... Serious change. However, Drago turns out not to be the only one to return...**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **IMPORTANT NOTICE: I currently have a Poll on my Profile Page. It Is for 'Reckless or Selfless?' and is about naming the Deathsong.**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 ** _LightningAndDeathItself218-_ Aww, pal, thank you! I take that as a compliment... Well, I'm glad I could surprise you like that... But, I did actually hint at it, long ago, although it occurred not in Chapter 13, it took place directly after... [From Chapter 1: Somewhere in the far away lands, an enormous crimson dragon tilted her head to the sky, feeling droplets of blood slide down her snout, and splat on her gold chain mail, as she looked down... At another dead Bewilderbeast... Another dragon who had failed her... A dragon who had once been an Alpha, only to be defeated again...]**

 **Also, thanks to all you lovely peeps- I love you! DRAGONITES UNITE!**

 **o-o-o**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 14: Mysteries of the Murderous**

Snotlout grudgingly stomped over to Astrid, patiently waiting at the door.

"What do you want, Astrid?" He grumbled, just wanting her to go away. Ever since Hiccup had died... Well, he had been lost. He didn't know what to do...

Hiccup had always been there. _Always_.

She sighed. To be honest, she didn't look so good, either. Then again, none of the village had in ages.

"I don't really know, either, but the twins looked serious... Said something about a big dead dragon." Astrid explained. Both of the young adults had frowns etched onto their expressions, and for good reason.

Snotlout looked down; well, it was better than moping around, and trying to look strong.

"Alright... Let me get Hookfang from the stables... And we'll all go."

Astrid nodded, her shoulders slumping. They would all go; the entire gang, without Hiccup and Toothless...

...It was just so wrong.

Oo-oOo-oO

They flew in no formation, the once organised group now misshapen.

Astrid flew on Stormfly, scanning the ground below them. They had taken nearly half the day just to get here, and apparently the 'big dead dragon' was on this island.

Astrid knew very well this could just the twins' attempt to get the gang back together, and have some fun, because... Well, it wouldn't be the first time.

But their looks when they ran up to her, exhausted and sweating, with a worried and nervous dragon behind them, had _her_ worried. It was very peculiar to see a relaxed or happy face from them these days, and they usually were upset and quiet, but to see... That... Was too big for her to pass up.

To be honest, she had been slightly excited to get out with her friends. It had been surprisingly nice to fly in the air upon her dragon, the ones she called family flying behind her.

Fishlegs had even tried some jokes, and to his joy, he had managed to create some chuckles.

But all those died away as they hovered over the gorge- because that dragon was real... And it was dead, and huge. Huge, as in, they could see it before they even realised what they saw.

Oo-oOo-oO

"Uh, guys..." Snotlout said, fear and concern hanging in his tone, "Isn't that... A Bewilderbeast...?"

Astrid was at a loss for words. She knew that dragon- it was undoubtedly Drago Bludvist's Bewilderbeast; The Alpha...

He _was_ the Alpha.

"So... The Alpha's dead. Was he challenged? Where's you-know-who?"

Fishlegs frowned. "I don't know... I don't. I mean, could he have died of starvation? What about-"

"Another dragon killed him." Ruffnut suddenly interrupted, her eyes emotionless. The other riders blinked at her.

"How do you know?" Snotlout asked, looking over the gruesome image in hopes of finding an answer.

"Because of the blood, and claw marks. See?" She and Tuffnut flew down on Barf & Belch, and she pointed to a deep gouge in its neck. Now they looked, it was by a dragon.

"Whatever- or whoever- did this, they were possibly bigger... Than a Bewilderbeast. It's neck was snapped... And... Oh Thor, that's disgusting..."

"Fishlegs... It's blood." Astrid said lowly.

The husky adolescent looked sickly. "That's not it... You don't want to know."

Snotlout looked to Astrid, Astrid looked to the twins, who looked to the Bewilderbeast... And they wound up figuring it out. And it wasn't a pretty sight.

Oo-oOo-oO

Trying to erase gruesome and dark thoughts circulating his mind, Fishlegs laid on his stomach, doing what he always did when he wanted to take his mind off something.

He read a book. Best alternative in the world.

More specifically, he was reading books and scrolls. Last time Trader Johann had been on Berk, he had given Fishlegs a large package... From someone called 'Aloysius'. He had no idea who that was, but that was all he had to work with on terms of names.

He was currently reading a thick book, one that read as 'The Ancient Language'. Inside, it talked about how, apparently, it was the oldest known language known to all creation.

"Wow, Meatlug... Words that can kill people. Only gods can do that!" His dragon was quite interested, although, she had been ever since he carried the two large satchels back to his home. "You know, I'm starting to wonder- is this even real? I mean... It's ridicules. Some words In this 'Ancient Language' can make you fly, set something on fire..."

Fishlegs looked at the pile. Ever since Hiccup had died, he hadn't really felt much desire to finish things- it felt so wrong, because his best friend had never been able to finish himself... He looked at his Gronckle, and sighed. He would read these another time. He got up, and piled them on a high shelf.

Unbeknownst to him, as he left, a small dragon flew in his room, slipping a small bookmark between two pages. It smiled, and left the room.

Oh, the surprise he was going to get when he read that, 14 years into the future...

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N:**

 **Wow, am I the only one who thinks we're getting somewhere here? Inspiration boost, I guess...**

 **Nothing much to say, although I did get my first flame- or, hater... I won't say much, other than he didn't exactly look at the character's section... Although, that is why I added the extra details at the end of the Summary.**

 **Just want to say, I love each and every one of you for coming with me on this fanfiction. Following... Favouring... And reviewing.**

 **Even when people try to bring me down, I wont let them, because I know there are more of you that would never say such things- and for that, I love you all. Thank you, just, thank you, all of you... The fan girl community is my second (or third, my Home room class might be there... Ok, you're even) family, and I wouldn't want it any other way. :D**

 **Now, before we start getting grey hairs, from reading all my mushy-fangirl-confessions...**

 **Crystallion12**


	16. Chapter 15- Hell to your Doorstep

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **SUMMARY –** **They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **IMPORTANT NOTICE: I currently have a Poll on my Profile Page. It Is for 'Reckless or Selfless?' and is about naming the Deathsong.**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 ** _Enderrider_ \- Well, if more is what you want, I'll try. For chapters... Well, I'll say this- there are LOTS more chapters. As in, the chapter number's gonna get pretty big. (Oh stop it, you're making me blush!) Thx for the review!**

 ** _MaximumRide159_ \- Ooh, oh... Well, you're gonna have to wait, I'm afraid... Don't know how long it'll be... Because... It totally doesn't happen approximately 30 chapters later... Please don't kill me...! 'Runs away, terrified' XD By the way, thanks a ton for the review!**

 **Also, thanks to all you lovely peeps- I love you! DRAGONITES UNITE!**

 **o-o-o**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 15: Hell to your Doorstep**

Silus laughed, as he ran out of his house. He sprinted towards the fields, heading for the forest.

About a week and a half had passed since he had met the second known Night Fury, Aurora. Well, at least, in his knowledge.

Everyone (on Berk, as of now) else still believed Toothless was the only one; some had even made the depressing, but awfully believable claim that the stunning species was now extinct. As he giddily laughed again, he knew better, and had living proof that was his best friend.

Over the time, when he wasn't with the beautiful she-dragon, he had poured all his spare time into learning all he could about Toothless the Night Fury.

It had been rather hard, considering how sensitive the topic was now. Sick in his stomach, he truly wished he had taken the time to get to know them...

What I wouldn't do to meet them. He grudgingly mourned, as he ducked under a tree, and grinned like a fool. He had reached the cove in record time, and funny enough, this was the _exact_ place Hiccup and Toothless had met and bonded- oh, the irony.

He weaved his way into the entrance, excitedly jumping as he broke out of the tough pull of the vines.

Looking around, he sighed. He couldn't see the blue dragoness anywhere, she must have gone fishing, perhaps flying, but deep down, he knew she didn't like flying on her own, without him, or well, doing anything. He knew from her despaired and disappointed looks on her gorgeous face, every time he hugged her goodbye. She would often follow him to the outskirts of the village when it was night, then slip away back into the forest.

A week ago, when he couldn't find her, and she wasn't so close to his heart, he had been sure she had left him. He had cried, and then she came back, whimpering and licking him.

He smiled at the memory, about to walk over to the lake and sit down to wait, when he heard the heavenly, lovely, and familiar coo of the purple-blue dragon. He barely had time to turn around, as he was tackled by Aurora. She roared as he laughed, looking at him under her claws.

"Ok, you got me- Aurora! Tha... Tickles!"

She chortled, continuously nuzzling his belly, and licking his nose. Eventually, he wriggled out her grip, and ran around her, throwing his body over her back. She roared, tail wagging.

Silus grinned, letting himself fall back to earth. Reaching up to scratch her thick neck, he sighed. "Sorry, girl, but it's broad daylight, there's a border patrol going on, and the village is bustling the most I have ever seen... Whether it's enjoyed or not without Hiccup and Toothless, they're celebrating Bork Week soon. I think everyone's at the markets getting their dinner supplies ready for the week."

Aurora looked at him, seemingly ignorant of the variables as she hung her tongue loose out her gummy smile. Making her hilarious goofy face, she tried to wane him out of their safety times.

He gave her a look, putting his hands on his hips. "Which means no flying."

Aurora immediately slumped, pouting. Her simply stunning wings drooped by her sides, heavy with the weight of disappointment. Silus simply looked down at his boots, wishing they could fly, too. If he really took all details into account, she _could_ fly on her own, but without him... And according to her face when he suggested it, that wasn't much fun any more, apparently (which didn't come as a big surprise in the least).

Instead, they settled for a couple games of tag, and a satisfyingly good lunch of fresh fish, consisting of ninety for her, and two for him. He had her light him a fire, after all, he couldn't eat raw, and thankfully, mercifully, she seemed to understand that pretty well, which once again proved she was truly as intelligent as Night Furies were said to be. Something odd he noticed about it too, was that the fish was much more nicer and sweeter than normal. He guessed it was because of her Plasma Blast- yes, it was Plasma Blast, wasn't it? As she lit a ring on the ground for her to have their nap on, he confirmed it to himself.

He stretched, lazily walking over to the dragon. He sat down beside the flying reptile, her pleasant heat and wing providing shade giving him luxury. He sighed, relaxing against her smooth scaly side, her leathery wing above his head.

This was their 'routine' now, when he came during the day after he had done his chores. Play, eat, rest and nap, play some more or take a walk, eat, then take a afternoon flight.

If he was lucky and his parents, a, weren't in the house, b, went to bed early, or c, were away, he stayed the night with her. Their afternoon flight would be followed by a play, a rest, and then a long, peaceful nightly flight... Then they would sleep, and he would return the next day.

"Ah... This is the life, don't you agree, girl?" He asked, resting his head against her strong shoulder blades. She hummed her consent, bringing her neck around so her head lay at his feet. He stroked her gently, over the spines and ear flaps. He loved the way her scales felt under his fingers, warm and smooth, and he couldn't help but marvel how they shimmered and shined in the sun.

Silus was just about to close his eyes and fall into the depths of sleep, when he paused. Aurora growled, the vibrations running through her stiffened body.

"Aurora? What is it?" He sat up, concerned. He looked around the cove, seeing nothing but scenery and her... He continued to ask her what was wrong, but all she said was grr, growl, and more growls. Oh, and the occasional hiss.

He grabbed her wing, trying to get her attention. "Please, girl? What is it? Tell me!"

Alright, now that one was a bit fuzzy. The whole telepathic connection was the biggest mystery he had ever encountered in his life. She was able to say each their names, and once she managed to say 'yes', and he could of sworn she had said 'no' once, too. And, for some reason, she could also say 'pickle-ball'...

He had no idea why she could say that, but he didn't dare question it. She was still a lethal, fire breathing winged reptile; one that also was one of, if not the, most dangerous dragon species known to vikings.

So yeah, he didn't exactly expect her to respond. But she usually could just say things and emotions with body language, so she didn't really need to.

 _Although_ , he supposed, being able to _tell_ your rider _what's_ the _issue_ , _MIGHT_ come in handy...

Suddenly, he heard a loud shriek split the air, and he felt jaws close around the back of his tunic and throw him onto a scaly back.

Landing with a _oof_ , he blinked and shook his head, eyes widening as he watched Aurora's wings spread. A powerful jump of her back legs was all it took, and they were airborne. Normally, he loved flying, but this... This was terrifying.

Screaming, as her wings pounded against the wind, they rigorously climbed higher and higher.

Oo-oOo-oO

Stoick stomped through the village, really wishing the day would just end. With his problems, would be nice, too.

It was already an hour past noon, and he still had tons to do.

First, he had to solve _another_ argument between Gulnar and Hagard, then he had to go to the docks to repair someone's boat, and as if that wasn't enough building for one day, he had a hole in Sven's roof to fix. Later In the afternoon, he had to deal with the Twin's yack-tipping, and he was pretty sure Mulch had said something about how all of their fishing nets were missing- which was also, most likely, the work of the Twins. Then, somehow during the evening, he would have to make a saddle for a new dragon.

With a lump in his throat, he accidently realised most of the issues were all things to A, do with the Twins, or B, do with dragons... All things Hiccup would of done.

It had been three weeks since his son's abrupt and tragic death, but it still hurt. Even with his reunited wife, it was still a living nightmare to go about his everyday life. Every time he saw the Dragon Riders, or a dragon, for that matter, he would be reminded. Most of the times he was in the Forge, he could only bite back tears as he remembered his deceased son...

A growl woke him up from his trance, and he looked down, confused, only to see his dragon, looking remorseful as he did every time he saw that face, Thornado.

He had never expected Thornado to come back. But according to Valka, it wasn't too surprising, and the fact that the Thunderdrum had been bonded to him only made it even more likely. Apparently, a Thunderdrum usually leaves its home to raise its young, but when they were old enough, and the dragonets could defend themselves in crisis, they would return to their old home which would usually be a lot more dangerous than the other.

So all in all, he could understand why his first dragon came back. At first, no one knew what to do. Skullcrusher had been awkward for ages...

And had started spending time with Eret, Son of Eret. Eventually, Stoick decided to leave Skullcrusher with Eret, to have a life of thrill and adventure. Thornado had gladly taken up as his dragon, and Bing, Bam and Boom now resided on Berk, working with the Dragon Riders at the Academy and basically whenever and wherever they could.

Despite all this, he still grieved. He probably would until the day he died.

Because he had failed...

Failed to protect his son, his only son... His Hiccup.

 _His Hiccup_.

Oo-oOo-oO

"AURORA!" He screeched, desperately clinging onto her neck for dear life. He watched with horror, as his fingers started to slip, and he tried to grab her with his knees, to no avail. "-Aurora, I-I'm slipping!"

She looked back at him, panicked, her pupils small and terrified. He stared back, confused and scared by her uncharacteristic expression.

He yelled at her, and she flew higher. Just as she seemed to start slowing, her screams tore through the air, and she was thrown through the air- looking over her neck, his blue eyes widened at the sight of a huge black creature, blood covering its talons. Aurora spiralled through the air, roaring, as he desperately tried to get hold of her back. The creature dove towards them, snapping and screeching.

Trying not to look at the horrifying abomination of a creature, only a snap away from killing them, he searched for words, but found none, only screams.

He looked down, and his heart nearly stopped.

 _Oh no_ , were the last words to run through his mind, as all went black, with a sickening snap, and a echoing thud.

Oo-oOo-oO

"I'm telling you, it was a Night Fury! It carried the poor boy away, allowing it to be murdered by another one! EVIL, pure evil, I'm telling you!"

Stoick, Valka and Gobber stormed into the situation, and immediately groaned.

They should of known- only one man on Berk could make those type of claims and insults.

Mildew.

How the man was still alive after all the years, they would never figure out, but he was. And Thor, was he worse than ever.

Ever since Hiccup had died, Mildew had been the worst thing in existence next to the tragedy. Even worse, were his claims. As if the subject wasn't touchy enough, he had branded Toothless as 'evil' and 'truly the offspring of death', much to the disgust of everyone- especially Hiccup's parents.

"Mildew, have I not made my threats clear?!" The chief snarled, striding up to his face with fury in his eyes and trembling, balled fists.

Spitelout walked up slowly, not wanting to make any sudden moves around the some what re-awakened 'vintage' Stoick the Vast. These days, it was impossible to tell what he would do. "Well, Stoick... Mildew here," he growled at that last part, "Has been claiming he saw a Night Fury killing a child in the air, off in the distance."

Most of the gathered crowd were fuming with rage by now, weapons on hand.

The dragons, clearly agitated, were following suite- Nadders had spines ready to fire, Nightmare had flickers of flame all over their body, and Zippleback heads were sparking and gassing. Even the usually non-intimidating Terrible Terrors had their teeth bared.

"But didn't _anyone_ see?! It was an onslaught of black and re-" He was stopped cold, as a hand wrapped around his throat, lifting him into the air.

Stoick glared, his cold eyes bearing into the old man's soul.

"SAY THAT AGAIN, I _DARE_ YOU."

When he got no reply, he simply looked on for a moment, then dropped Mildew to the ground, turning around on his heel sharply. "If you value your life, you will _NEVER_ say such things again."

And with that, he stormed off.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N:**

 **Alright, I admit it. I'm guilty. 'Puts hands up'**

 **Yeah, I'm so sorry for the lack of updates, guys, but now it's holidays, and you should see a massive barrage of updates within the next two weeks, especially for this fanfiction, which I think is starting its prime.**

 **Now, I don't really have anything to say, so... Hold on, let me find something to tell you...**

 **Oh. I 'renovated' my room. Well, not really. Just gave it a huge clean, sorted some stuff out, moved the furniture, changed the lining on my bed- And ooh, I have a new bed frame! It's actually really nice. I love my room now!**

 **Well, that's it for now, guys, have a nice day!**

 **PS- What do you guys think of the new Summary and Story Cover? Like it? 'Puppy eyes' (Any ideas of who's eye that's supposed to be?)**

 **Quick Reminder: If you know/have read/etc my fanfiction, 'Reckless or Selfless?', just the reminder it is now complete and finished. Also, if you can spare a minute or so to complete the Poll (naming the Deathsong) on my Profile Page, you get extra virtual cookies and hugs. :)**

 **COOKIESS! HUGSSSSSSSS! JUST SAW BATMAN V SUPERMAN IN CINEMAS!**

 **Crystallion12.**


	17. Chapter 16-The Cruelty of Queen Scarlet

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **SUMMARY –** **They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **IMPORTANT NOTICE: I currently have a Poll on my Profile Page. It Is for 'Reckless or Selfless?' and is about naming the Deathsong.**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 ** _RUBYJEMS_ \- Haha, Lol. I don't actually like pickles, I've never tried them- but you should know, Pickle-ball is a thing, seriously, look it up, and you'll see it yourself. Apparently, if I remember correctly, it's like an outdoor tennis, I think. **

**_Enderrider_ \- Thanks! Reviews are my fuel, and they keep me going! Aww, ok, I'm being serious now, stop being so nice! I'M BLUSHHHIIIIINNNNGGGGG! Will do, and I think it's starting to get serious now...**

 ** _MaximumRide159_ \- WELL, there is my issue of torturing our favourite fictional characters, killing characters, being gruesomely violent with the characters, making tons of Ocs... Nuuuu! Don;t hurt me! That's what Queen Scarlet does... 'Gasp' NOO! YOU ARE QUEEN SCARLET! NUUUUUUUUUU! XD (Thx for the review)**

 **[This is long- that's why it's last on here]**

 ** _Pietersielie_ \- Oh boy. 'Takes a deep breath' You've officially written the longest review on one of my stories... So hold on tight. Firstly, thank you so much for the review, and the time you took to write it all- I'm really happy you've followed me this far, as it is technically my first story. ROS may have been completed first, but the TIW AU is going to be _huge_. I won't say much to avoid spoilers, but there is a lot more of this AU in the making... A LOT. This is serious now. **

**I know it's confusing, and it's fine to think that, pal. Call me evil, but you could actually say that's what I WANT. The build of this story is designed to keep the reader mystified, and get them thinking. Keep them curious and excited. Because of this, I make sure the chapters and characters are interesting enough, and my grammar is good enough to make you amazing guys want to read.**

 **Being the holidays, chapters are very more likely, and updates, much sooner. I'm hoping to actually have TIW completed by the end of the year. And yes, Hiccup is very confused... And he's gonna be for a good while. They all are. XD**

 **Oh my gosh guys, you're amazing! 4 reviews in one chapter!**

 **Also, thanks to all you lovely peeps- I love you! DRAGONITES UNITE!**

 **o-o-o**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 16: The Cruelty of Queen Scarlet**

"Uhh... Ow... Wha..." Silus blinked, everything aching. He looked down, and immediately regretted it.

They were thousands of feet above a blood red ocean.

Why it was red, he had no idea, but, he surely had something to say...

"AHHHHHH!" He screamed until his throat scratched, clutching onto whatever was even holding him. A minute later, he realised it was a talon, scaly and wrinkly-like. The claw was wrapped under his waist, cold and painful, digging into his skin through the fabric.

He looked up, and instantly recoiled in fear.

Silus was being carried by a massive winged beast, which looked more bird-like than dragon.

Whatever it was, it was not friendly-looking, or acting, apparently.

It was about two times the size of a Typhoomerang, with a long, thin neck, and a grotesque head. It had a thick, wrinkly like hide, greyish black in colour. Its wings, and down its underbelly, it had a tint of brown, reflecting in the faint light of the sunset. It had a long tail, with a few large spines at the end. The wings were huge, and from his estimate, probably three times the length of the menacing beast, from snout to tail-tip. He couldn't see its head well, but remembering correctly, it had two beady eyes on wide set, and a beak-like snout, with two nostrils; oh, and LOTS of sharp, dangerous teeth, with a forked blue tongue.

Just on its underbelly and talons, he could see plenty of scars. Some old, some new. A lot of them looked quite scary, and were probably deep in their time. Gods, there was even dried blood on its talons...

The blood of a dragon... His dragon... Aurora.

Suddenly remembering his only friend, the 'last' Night Fury, whom he had named Aurora, he desperately thrashed in the beast's grasp, trying to see his dragon. For a split second, he feared the worst, and that this bloody beast had killed her. He slumped in relief, as a weak roar answered him. Now that he looked, every now and then when the beast flapped, he could see a flash of blue on the other side- probably In this creature's claws.

Silus looked at the animal again, wondering if it was a dragon. If it was... Well, if it was a dragon, it wasn't a documented species in the least.

And with how dangerous it was, and how easily it took his poor Aurora down...

It should be.

Also, since when did he call Aurora his own...?

Oo-oOo-oO

Silus and Aurora woke up to the sound of a agitated roar, and they opened their eyes to see the creature had dropped them onto a cold, slippery floor, in a large black room.

Sitting up without a word, he placed a hand on Aurora's neck, trying not to feel the dried blood. The weakened, normally elegant and happy Night Fury was shaking and trembling, and how he hated it. Oh, when he got his hands on that wrinkly menace of a bitch...

Well, he couldn't right now.

The beast had left the room, through what looked like the only door In the whole place.

Speaking of which, he took the time to study his surroundings, which honestly wasn't much. The floor was slippery and smooth, not any type of stone or mineral he had ever seen or heard of. It was pitch black, as were the walls. Tentatively sliding over to one, he ran his fingers over the nearest wall, and found it had a similar texture, if a bit rougher.

The only actual piece of furniture in the room was a strange, almost creepy torch on the wall. It wasn't like anything he had ever seen before, rather, it didn't look like it could actually exist.

A black metal handle was built into the wall, and there was a floating, blue and purple glowing orb on top. It was encased in a clear glass container, that was shaped to look like the head of a dragon with open jaws, the fire inside looking like a fireball.

He snorted, admitting it was rather clever looking. Looking to the opposite wall, he spotted another one, precisely identical. Whoever, or whatever, had made these, was talented as- he doubted even _Gobber_ could make something even _close_ to the masterpieces.

Just as he was about to go over and inspect that too, he heard a whimper, and he spun around to see Aurora, wide pupils pleading for him.

Heart now melted, Silus rushed over, slipping in the process, and crumpled beside her. He whispered soft words to her, trying to hush her to sleep. He stroked the side of her triangular face, just the way she liked it. She hummed in pleasure, but ultimately refused to fall asleep, fixated on protecting her precious rider from the Queen.

Oo-oOo-oO

Oh yes, she knew about their captors, and who wanted them- as for why... Well, she wasn't too sure on that one.

Wrapping her tail around him, she shivered. It was cold in here.

She knew what that creature was, and Thor, she could smack Silus for his stupidity (although he obviously wouldn't know)- it was _not_ a dragon. In fact, it shouldn't even _exist any more._

The Lethrblaka, the full-grown forms of the Ra'zac, (who were in the same state) were meant to be extinct- according to legend, Eragon Shadeslayer, and his dragon Saphira, had killed the last of them during the Rider War, hundreds of millennia ago.

Apparently, though, they weren't... So was this land the one they came from? She honestly didn't know. After all, she was _only_ a Night Fury, nothing special in the eyes of true power...

So what did the Queen want with her? Her rider?

The door swung open, a guard standing in place with his weapon pointed at ready. "The Queen wishes to see you. Refuse, and you will be killed."

Well, apparently she was going to get her answer...

She just hoped Silus didn't say something they would both regret.

Oo-oOo-oO

When the guard had said 'Queen' he had no idea what to expect. A posh woman, clad in gorgeous tight robes...

Not a enormous, absolutely terrifying, blood red dragon.

Squeaking and shaking like a leaf, both Night Fury and Viking looked up at the huge beast, inspecting her golden claws.

Despite being terrified, he noticed her almost peculiar appearance.

She had gold, delicate chain necklaces around her neck, silver bands around her paw, and jewel-like rings on her talons on each paw- emerald, sapphire and opal on her left, and amethyst ring on her right talon to the far left of her paw.

Her scales, crimson as blood, glittered and shone like rubies, in the pale, blue light of the ominous, some-how-possible-to-exist torches, and her claws and sharp spines were gold. Her menacing, cold (despite being a warm colour) eyes were a hot orange, her pupils in calm, collected slits. On her eye ridges, he could see small gold studs, and black little spikes which he presumed were also jewellery.

She lowered her head towards them, her eyes now annoyed and bored. "Well, this is disappointing."

Silus screamed, shocked. She had talked! In perfect Norse!

"Oh, don't be so squeamish, you. It's just a dragon talking. Oh, wait, I forgot!" She crowed in a mocking tone. "Dragons these days can't speak! Oh, what a bummer..."

She whipped her head up, eyes locking onto the two nearest guards. "I thought you said it was them!"

One lifted his hands in the air, sweating. "Well, we never said it was the right colour... But it IS a Night Fury! With a rider!" He desperately tried to reason. Unable to find more words, he pinched the other guard, gesturing to the huge monster.

"Uhh..." The second started. "Ye-Yeah! A Night Fury! And... Um..." The guard looked over to Silus and Aurora, still petrified in place. "A nice... Looking... Night Fury! Yeah! It's extra rare!"

The dragon inspected the pair, her narrow eyes running all over them.

"Yes, very rare..." She mused, and the guards momentarily slumped in relief. "Not."

Guard one looked up, frozen. "B-B-B-But I-It's BLUE! And purple! I thought-"

Her necklaces clinking as she swivelled her neck around, she hissed. "Don't try and sound smart, you two maggots. I know much more about the Night Furies than you EVER will. She's not rare, she's just not BLACK. And if you don't know, that means she's malformed." The dragon spat a ember at them, setting one's arm on fire. The man, screaming in agony, ran off, as Silus and Aurora looked on in horror.

"Oh, dear." Scarlet drawled. "Well, he's dead." As if on cue, there was a sickening scream, and the sound of flesh burning... And a thunk that echoed through halls. "What a pity-" She said, inspecting her other paw, tilting it, watching her scales shimmer with the light and movement. "-I did like shutting him up... Then again, he always did have a horrible voice... Or was that Guard 1872? I can't remember such nonsense."

Turning her attention back to the Dragon and Rider, she grinned.

"Now, while you do look funny-" She pointed at Aurora, and Silus glared. "-You still are a Night Fury. Now, that alone isn't really exciting."

Silus frowned- what did she know about Night Furies? Did she know where they were?

Her gaze flickered to Silus. "Having a Rider is another story. So, boy, what is your name? And don't try to make a fake one. It's absolutely pointless."

The young viking bit his lip- did he really want to tell this dragon his name...? Then again, he didn't really have a choice. By now, it was probably name or die. He looked at Aurora, letting her know, with his gaze that she didn't make any sudden moves.

"Silus." He said, trying to make his voice non-shaky and cowardly. He didn't want this beast thinking he was scared of her.

But, it was probably a bit too late to say that.

"Ah..." She said. "Interesting name. A lot better than _Hiccup_."

Both dragon and Rider froze- how did she know? Wait... Was she associated with Drago Bludvist? What about the dead Alpha? And, at that very moment, he looked at her claws.

Oh no.

This was NOT good.

Oo-oOo-oO

"Deathstar, keep it quiet..." Drago growled, looking around the hall. Empty.

Perfect.

He crept down, his Skulblaka ( **[2]** ) creeping behind him, its jaws only inches away from his rider- any one who tried to stop them had a date with those babies.

The Skulblaka's black scales glimmered in the light of the Erisdar **[1]** , his blood red eyes flickering from side to side. This may be their only shot at escaping, and they didn't want it ruined. He had to be on his best, with all his senses intact.

Passing by a group of guards, they tried to pull off a cover. Standing up straight, dragon and rider pretended to be on their way to the Throne Room, considering it was on their path.

Thankfully, even when Drago grabbed his sword's hilt in hesitance, the guards didn't pay them much attention, although one or two backed up a little, clearly terrified. They were probably new. As they continued on their path, Deathstar thought about it- it wasn't exactly unusual for them to be walking around at this time, but still, it was odd behaviour for them. Unless they were called by the Queen, or were on a mission, they were just in their room, probably doing nothing.

 _Well, that was close_. Deathstar hissed to his companion, who only gave him a worried look and a grunt.

 _Tell me about it_. Drago replied. _Actually, no, don't. I hate this place. And its guards_. After a moment, he turned his attention back to the path ahead. _Just keep walking... Once we're free, we can talk all we want_.

The huge black dragon nodded, his tail swishing back and forth. They were nearly at the doorway, and to be honest, he had never been so happy to see the large exit.

Drago pushed it open slightly, peering outside. Thankfully, it was duty swap time, and there were very few guards on watch- which translated into, not enough guards to notice a pitch black dragon sneaking away with his rider.

But, it also meant they had to be quick. They had to get away now, else they wouldn't, ever. And if the Queen figured out they were even considering escape... Well, she wouldn't be very happy.

Climbing onto Deathstar's back, Drago settled into the saddle, quickly slipping his legs into the bands.

"Come on, boy." He whispered, patting the excited dragon's neck. Finally, they would be free! Giving the dragon a small squeeze with his ankles, Deathstar pushed open the doors, leaping into the air joyously. Stealthily gliding through the air, he lowered himself so he hovered over the dark abyss.

They hadn't been noticed.

One minute passed. Two minutes, and they were past the guards at the gate post. Three minutes. Four minutes. Five. Six. Seven.

They were fre-

"And, just where do you think YOU'RE going?!"

Deathstar spun around, his heart dropped to the pit of his empty stomach.

Flying right behind them, was the raging, crimson figure of Queen Scarlet. Three armoured dragons were flying in formation behind her. He recognised them from the patrol...

The patrol who had reported them heading that direction...

Which they weren't supposed to be doing...

Oo-oOo-oO

Drago and Deathstar walked behind Scarlet, heads drooped. _I'm sorry_... Drago said softly to his dragon, in a tone many wouldn't think possible from a man like him. Only to his soul-mate did Drago give his heart.

 _It's not your fault... I don't blame you_. Deathstar responded, his tail and wings dragging on the floor.

They followed their ruler, only recently ascended to Queen of Dragons. The mate of the Alpha, who she reaped and killed. Which, of course, was just SO _noble_ and _majestic_. _Totally_ how the Circle of Life worked.

Dragon and rider spent the rest of the journey in silence, until they reached the doors they both feared; the doors to the Torture Chamber.

"So," Queen Scarlet hissed, turning to face them. "Who's idea was this? Yours?" She glared accusingly at Deathstar, who was about to respond, when his rider interrupted.

"It was mine!" Drago burst, and she looked at him in anger.

"Well... That's even worse, but I guess you deserve the brunt, any way. Congratulations, Drago Bludvist-" She hissed, as the guards stepped forward, and grabbed Deathstar, holding him back with black chains. The Skulblaka whimpered and reached out with his talons in desperation, but knew better than to fight.

Scarlet's eyes narrowed. "For rudely my little conversation with our new guests, and trying to foolishly escape..." She grinned sickly, pushing open the doors with her tail as she spoke. Drago cringed, and Deathstar roared in fury.

"You get to go first."

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N:**

 **Wow, 3000 words, this one. I never intended it to be this long... This is exactly why I don't set a particular word count for chapters and stories.**

 **None the less, I hope you guys enjoyed!**

 **I must say, I'm quite impressed with this chapter myself. I think I did a good job, but that's just my opinion.**

 **Of everything, I personally say that Queen Scarlet got the most love- Err... Evil... Here.**

 **I guess, I think her character's starting to unravel a bit more, and honestly, the same could be said for Drago and Deathstar, his dragon. I actually have loosely based the two of Thorn and Murtagh in the Inheritance Cycle- but I won't say anything there, because I don't want to spoil it for any of you who want to read it, or are right now...**

 **(WARNING, THIS IS CRYSTAL GUSHING AND FANGIRLING- PROCEED WITH CAUTION) If you haven't, I EXTREMELY recommend you do. Without sounding too much like a business or Ad lady, I'll just say, that if you are into magic, or dragons, it's for you. Also, if you are liking this story, GO READ IT. JUST READ IT. I WILL SAY NOTHING MORE. IT IS THE REASON I LOVE DRAGONS SO MUCH. Well, that and Toothless.**

 **So, without further ado...**

 **Crystallion12.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **References-**

 **[1] - Erisdar- From the Inheritance Cycle. Minor changes were made to it, but it still holds the 'flameless lantern' trait that was used by both Elves and Dwarves.**

 **[2] – Skulblaka- The immortal dragons. Also from the Inheritance Cycle. The word 'dragon' in the Ancient language, literally translating into 'scale-flapper'. (I recommend you remember this- it is constantly used through out the entire AU, as well as Shur'tugal [Dragon Rider]. )**


	18. Chapter 17- Confessions

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **SUMMARY –** **They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **IMPORTANT NOTICE: I currently have a Poll on my Profile Page. It Is for 'Reckless or Selfless?' and is about naming the Deathsong.**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 **No shoutouts.**

 **o-o-o**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 17: Confessions.**

 _2 months later..._

He thought Asgard was warm. And it wasn't even summer yet.

It had been around two months since they had 'ascended' to Asgard, the city of the Gods, and they had pretty much gotten to know Aloysius, his 'caretaker', and his dragon, Crimseara.

Toothless walked beside Hiccup, watching the people of the grand city walking around in their everyday activities. When they saw the two, they would smile, wave, and some would even come over and bow.

The young man knew why they bowed, and they did too. His destiny heavily influenced their lives, and well, that was enough for anyone to bow down.

Hiccup was on his way to his room, to have a bit of a nap, before they left.

He didn't know too much about where they were going, only that it was called 'Draconis Anscesora' otherwise known as 'The City of Angels and Dragons'. He had actually heard the majority of things about it from Aloysius, who said it was where he lived. Apparently, they would love it there, but Hiccup wasn't overly convinced.

His home was on Berk, and he doubted that would EVER change.

But, if he wanted them to be save, he would have to get used to a new life. New friends. A new Toothless. And a new him.

They were what terrified him; not the fact he was going to a gigantic city, filled with huge fire-breathing reptiles and dragon-winged witches and sorcerers- no, he was worried about him and Toothless.

He could make new friends- in fact, that would be the easy part, apparently.

Hiccup didn't want to change. He liked who he was, what he did, how he looked- to be honest, he didn't know how to change. And Toothless, by the stars ( **[1]** )... Toothless.

Toothless was his best friend, and he had always known Toothless the way he was. Apparently, it was just a few physical changes, and some training; the same went for him, if a bit more extreme. But he didn't want any of that. He did not.

But Hiccup was convinced he didn't have a choice. It was his destiny... And destiny was VERY hard to change. He, was not. At least, that's what Thor said...

That meeting had actually gone smoother than Hiccup could have ever imagined. In fact, they were already friends. Shockingly enough, he was friends with basically everyone. The people. The dragons. The gods.

It was shocking, and no one blamed him.

That was another thing; while it was strange, everyone was so understanding, patient, and welcoming; well, some looked a bit expectant at times, but apparently that was normal.

He sighed, and jumped in his skin, realising they had reached the hall. They walked inside, Toothless trailing after him. Reaching his room, Hiccup looked back at his dragon, who was sat outside. The dragon would probably go off and nap with the others. He bade his dragon goodbye, giving him a scratch and a smile, before closing the door behind him.

The young man flopped on the bed, staring at the ceiling. It was strange, not having the Night Fury in his room when he slept. But, that was mainly because of the dragon's size.

Ever since they had came here, Hiccup had noticed quite a few changes in Toothless; according to Aloysius, now that he was eating the right, proper Dragon food, such as proper meats and larger stock, as well as certain foods and liquids, he could develop into his 'true form'. When the man had said that, Hiccup had immediately thought to when he said 'a few physical changes', which helped his understanding. One of those things, apparently, was his dragon's size- since they had arrived, Toothless had grown considerably, growing the size in two months that usually took a year. Apparently, being a dragon with such a big destiny, he needed to be big too- this aspect, Hiccup wasn't too bothered by, in full honesty.

He just hoped when this was all over, the bond they shared would still be as strong as ever.

Oo-oOo-oO

Stretching his legs, Hiccup walked down the path to the Hall, more than ready for dinner.

Hearing a swoosh of wings, he looked to his shoulder, and grinned.

Two Deadly Nadders followed Toothless in the air, who was running, courtesy of his prosthetic tail-fin. Toothless bounded over with a happy roar, bouncing around him.

"Hey Bud!" Hiccup laughed, the dragon standing on his hind legs and roaring joyously. The two Nadders landed, squawking playfully. Hiccup watched as his dragon ran over, batting his paw at one. The purple and yellow one swished his tail, and ran in a circle, taunting the Night Fury to chase him.

Hiccup continued on his path, the three dragons playing close to him. They eventually reached the central plaza, where the citizens were walking to and fro, chatting as children played and chased each other. There were a bunch of dragon hanging around, mostly playing with the kids, and getting pampered and petted by the people, happily making fusses over them. He could even spot a few animals here and there- he could see a cheetah laying by a man's feet, purring and getting love and attention from two young girls, a rhino there, a parrot on a shoulder, even a group of wolves.

That probably confused him the most. Despite not being from the Viking Archipelago, not even close, there were still tons of exotic animals around. Just the other day, he saw what was apparently called a 'kangaroo'. No one really knew much about the animal, but apparently it was from very, VERY far away.

People and animals alike turned, and happily greeted Hiccup and Toothless as they entered. A horse trotted up to Hiccup, a bunch of kiddos played around Toothless' feet- at one stage, a parrot landed on the Rider's shoulder and started rubbing its head against him.

Hiccup loved everyone here, and the dragons even more so. To think that they had been at war with the amazing creatures, while up in the heavens, the Asgardians were dancing with Nadders and rolling around with Raincutters in the mud. It honestly made him sick to the stomach to think about it that way, so he tried not to think about it.

"Why, hello Elisbeth- oh, you too, Greggory..." Hiccup waved at an elderly couple, that would often sit in the Hall, telling people of stories of old. His personal favourites were about the ancient dragons- one of his absolute favourite tales had to be 'The Battle of Nine Alphas' where nine of the greatest dragon species battled, and one won, becoming the Alpha. It was quite fascinating, really. Toothless would always jump for joy when he heard it, and would occasionally sit at the front with the little kids, adorable as can be.

He gently stroked the back of the blue parrot's head, before it jumped onto his raised finger, where he flew off with a happy squawk. He smiled fondly, always liking that bird.

"Come on, Bud." He called, and the Night Fury padded over, cooing. "I'm hungry..." With a snort, the Night Fury gave him a gummy grin and a nod, offering his back. Climbing on, Hiccup smiled sadly at the crowd's disappointed sighs.

"Ok, fine." He said, gaining their attention. "If you want, one of these days, we'll all sit down and I'll share some stories, alright?" At that, the crowd cheered happily, and started dispersing. Hiccup sighed, rolling his eyes. These guys could make him do anything...

They flew off into the sunset, heading for the Hall.

By the stars, was he hungry...

Oo-oOo-oO

"Man, am I stuffed..." Hiccup looked to Aloysius sat beside him, watching the play on stage. The man chuckled, turning his gaze down at the young Dragon Rider.

"Well, you did eat a lot. Which Is a good thing... Do you even know how skinny you are? As in, health-concerning skinny, not I-amen't-fat skinny?"

"Wow, Alois. That's a great way to say it."

Aloysius snorted. "Eh... Gets the message across. But I'm being serious here."

Hiccup looked at the table, sighing. "Yeah, I know. I've never been a big eater. When I was younger, I pretty much _didn't_ eat altogether. No one really questioned it at the time..." Aloysius stared harder, compassionately firm, as he usually looked in a touchy conversation. "I guess..." Hiccup started, searching for the words.

"You were depressed?"

Hiccup blinked, turning to Aloysius, shocked. "How... I'm not..."

The dragon-winged man touched his hand and gently lowered his chin, looking him in the eyes.

"Trust me, Hiccup. I know when someone's depressed... I've been there, too. You're upset about Berk, aren't you?" Aloysius was met with silence, and he rested his hand on the smaller.

"Look, I know you're grieving. And that's ok, and I understand. We all do... And we're all here to listen, ok? I'm not going to judge you. I don't care what anyone else says, because I know you. You can tell me whatever you want, and sure, if its something hilariously embarrassing, I _might_ laugh, but in the end, it's not going to change what I think of you. It might be horrifying bad, and it might waver my trust or belief in you, but it's in the past. And I believe in second chances, and change."

Hiccup blinked, tears in his eyes. He didn't want to cry. Not here, not now...

"Oh. And, it's alright to cry. Everyone does it at one stage. Everyone. Even Odin."

"What?" Hiccup looked at him, his voice trembling and thick. Aloysius smiled reassuringly, spreading one wing to rest it over Hiccup's shoulder.

"Everyone. Everyone hurts someday, and there's nothing you can do about it. All you can do, is find out what went wrong, and do everything in your power to stop it, and make the pain go away. You find the ones who care about you, and you console in them. If they're not there, you find someone else."

Hiccup looked down, tears blurring his vision. Oh, it hurt so much. He had kept it inside for now, but looking on it now, hearing his words...

"You remind me of my Dad..." He mumbled quietly, half-wishing Aloysius didn't hear his words. But he must of, because he recoiled slightly, then lifted his chin again. He nodded slightly, gently rubbing his nose against his, foreheads gently touching.

"I'm afraid I can't be your father, Hiccup..." He gently pulled the Rider into his arms, wrapping his bright red wings around the adolescent. "But I can be there for you. Ok? I'm not leaving any time soon, and when we get to the City, you'll see me a lot. I may not be genetically your father, but It won't stop me from being in that role."

Hiccup sniffled, gently leaning into his caretaker. "Thank you..." He said softly, shuffling closer. He closed his eyes, tempted to fall asleep. Aloysius chuckles, obviously getting the message. "My pillow..."

Shaking his head, Aloysius looked up, seeing a few had walked over, clearly worried for Hiccup.

"He's ok." Aloysius reassured them. "I've got him." The citizens smiled, giving him nods of thank and appreciation as they went back to their own seats to watch the play.

When he looked back down, he wasn't completely surprised to find Hiccup had fallen asleep, his breathing and expression peaceful, head slumped against his chest. With a sigh, he spotted Toothless at the front of the crowd, laid down with about five children on his back as they watched the Poet on the stage desperately try and escape the soldiers. Laughing, he looked down at Hiccup, and then to a nearby guard, watching the play more than the actual door.

"Could you tell Toothless I'm taking his rider to bed? Otherwise he'll probably panic when he realises his rider's missing."

The guard nodded, walking into the midst of the crowd.

Aloysius sighed, staring down at Hiccup lovingly. And his sister had always said he would never have a son... Well, she never said it had to be genetic...

…..Meh.

Oo-oOo-oO

Hiccup blinked blearily, lifting his head off his soft pillow. He didn't remember going to bed... _Aloysius probably brought me here after I fell asleep_... Coming to a valid conclusion, he looked around the dim room, lit only by the candle on his bedside table.

Unable to fall asleep, he got up, rubbing his eyes. He was in his sleeping tunic, at least. Trying not to dwell on the fact his caretaker probably undressed him, he shook it off.

Grabbing Inferno (which he re-made a month ago), he grabbed a cloak, knowing very well how cold it got on a night-time. It was kinda funny, considering it was usually quite hot during the day. Quickly jotting down a note which he left on his bed, he opened the door, stepping outside.

Closing the door behind him, he shivered. Slipping his cloak on, he peered up at the night sky through the glass roof. Only the middle chandelier was on, and the lights had been set to dim. Gazing at the stars, shining bright in the night sky, he sighed quietly. Aloysius, Crimseara and the Gods had forbade he and Toothless fly at night, for reasons they had each refused to go into. Although, he presumed it was safety. From what he could understand, it was probably because they wanted him to stay out of harm's path. Which he could understand, and he accepted. Who knew what was out here...

As he walked out the hall, he silently wondered why it was so dangerous- he didn't see anything that looked like it could harm him around here, except for the gods themselves, or the citizens- and even then, that didn't explain why he couldn't fly at night. He couldn't be sure, but hiccup had a nagging feeling it was something much, much bigger.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N:**

 **Wow... I'm on fire. Not literally. It's kinda funny- because (at least mine does this) the Update Filter works in a way that it only comes up at the front every 24 hours, this has just increased in number and most of you guys probably didn't notice... Oh well. You just get extra chapters. XD**

 **I should probably say this right now- while not necessarily 'religious' this fanfic will be getting tons of godly aspects.**

 **Just now, I've done some research, and boy, did I just get an inspiration boost, or what! If you're wanting Norse mythology, you're gonna get it.**

 **I'll just go ahead and put some pointers out, alright? Ok... Here we go... 'Deep breath'**

 **Pretty much everything to do with Norse Mythology will be touched on/referenced/surrounded.**

 **Subjects like the 'Nine Realms/Worlds' will be touched on most, especially the more hostile races. I can confirm there will be fanfics/references/aspects from these ones in particular- Vanaheim, Alfheim, Nidavellir, and of course, Midgard, and Asgard. Which actually only leaves Svartalfheim, Jotunheim, Muspelheim, and Niflheim.**

 **Also, later on, there are going to be Pegasi (Pegasus)- now, they are from Greek Mythology. So, yes, not only are you getting a HttyD-altered-style history lesson, but you;re also going to get Greek Ones. Now, there will be references to some things in the 'Pegasus' Series by 'Kate o'Hearn' but the events will not be addressed, mainly because, well, this is Viking Era. There's no Emily Jacobs yet. XD**

 **So basically, I'm going to be bringing this entire AU close to Norse Mythology, without turning it into a boring, unflattering history lesson. Of course, there's HttyD, which is excatly what's going to set it apart... And while I don't think Ragnarok is going to happen in the entire course of the AU, there will probably be references.**

 **PS- Just a little heads-up, Raganarko will be touched on by Crystallion12, just not in this AU. Yes, there is going to be a Ragnarok, big-everyone-dies Ragnarok story. No idea when it's coming, but it's gonna be short and depressing. Just a little warning.**

 **Well, before your brains explode from all the spoilers, I'm gonna sign out here...**

 **ODIN FOREVER (Religion teacher glares at me) Oops... I'm catholic... Sorry. Don't say you believe in Odin at school, kiddos.**

 **COOKIEZ AND HISTORYYY!**

 **Crystallion12.**


	19. Chapter 18- Right and Wrong

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **SUMMARY –** **They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **NOTICES:**

 **-I currently have a Poll on my Profile Page. It Is for 'Reckless or Selfless?' and is about naming the Deathsong.**

 **-Speaking of ROS, the One-Shot, 'Hush Now, Quiet Now' will hopefully be up soon. ;)**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 ** _Pietersielie_ \- Whoa, calm down, buddy! Watch your French! But yeah, I'm evil. I know that. And I try. Thanks for the review!**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 18: Right and Wrong**

"WHAT?! HOW?"

Aloysius dipped his head, eyes closed in remorse.

"Odin, until now, much to my chagrin, I was not aware another Night Fury had bonded on Midgard." He paused, holding his own pretty well, considering the situation. "I was not even aware a Night Fury had emerged from hiding."

The Ruler of Asgard, the mighty God Odin, paced back and forth, clearly stressed. Most would be surprised to see such emotion from the God; he was always so calm, collected and prepared.

"Are you sure Scarlet has them?"

"Yes- it was your own men who reported it." He tilted his head. "Do you not believe in them?"

Odin grumbled, as his two black ravens squawked. "It wouldn't be the first time. You of all should know that, Shur'tugal."

Aloysius flinched. "What is in the past does not matter now, what is important here, is that they are rescued." Silence fell between them, and the Dragon Rider's wings fluttered in agitation at the God's hesitation.

"No, it's too risk-"

"RISKY?!" Aloysius snapped, wings flaring in rage. "You call that risky?! So, you'd rather have another Drago Bludvist to deal with?! Another over-powered Dragon Rider and Night Fury in her grasp?"

Odin whirled around, making sure to keep his distance. "I never said we should leave them!"

"Well, it kinda sounds like it!"

Odin leered. "Perhaps, I should of said this instead- we need to wait, until the DragonBorn is out of harm's way!" Silenced, Aloysius stood still. "If he finds out that this new Rider is from his home village, _Berk_ , riding a _Night Fury_ , who knows how he'd react!"

"Very well, Odin... Forgive me for my outburst." Aloysius spread his wings slightly, as a sign of apology. The God nodded.

"Think nothing of it. I understand how you Riders feel about one another. You are dismissed."

Aloysius smiled and bowed politely. "Thank you for your time and understanding, Odin."

…..Little did they know, a certain Dragon Rider had been listening the whole time.

Oo-oOo-oO

Hiccup raced down the hall, heart pounding and head spinning.

Another Night Fury? Another Dragon Rider like him, from Berk? In Drago Bludvist's hands?!

He didn't know too much about this Dragon Rider, his dragon, whoever, or whatever this DragonBorn was, gods, he wasn't even sure what they were talking about with Drago and this 'Scarlet' person.

All he really knew, was that if this new rider and his dragon were with Drago Bludvist, it wasn't good.

Mainly because Drago was responsible for his death.

Oo-oOo-oO

Aurora lifted her head, hearing the sound of footsteps shuffling down the hall. As the door swung open, the guards threw her rider in, jeering like always. It had almost become routine, from the looks of it.

Well, she could have routine, too.

Hissing, she tried her best to kill them, as always. Her claws missed by only a inch, as they had ran away as soon as they heard her.

Roaring as they laughed, mocking her futile attempts of vengeance, she snarled, scratching at the chain pinning her to the ground. She watched them, fury in her eyes, as they stepped outside, closing the door. She slumped. Well, it was worth a try...

Turning around, she rushed to Silus' side, as he groaned.

She tried to not look at the wide, mildly deep cut on his hip, rather focusing on his face. His features pinched in tight pain, she whimpered, almost as if she was in pain herself.

"I'm okay girl... It's alri- Ugh..."

 _Pfft_.

He was _anything_ but alright.

Trying to get up, she inwardly groaned. He was an idiot sometimes. She pushed him gently back down, warbling.

 _Silus_.

He sighed, laying down on his back beside her, head resting on the ground, just in front of her snout. Their eyes locked onto one another, equally tired and full of pain. The young man grimaced, his hand hovering over the wound he had sustained through Queen Scarlet's rage. He stared into icy blue eyes, their owner being the _only_ comfort he could find in this dark room. In his _life_.

In _him_.

"I know I've said this before, Aurora... But I love you more than _anything_ in this damned world..."

She cooed, rubbing her snout in his open, limp hand. He smiled faintly, her face and expression adorable, despite the situation they were in.

They would make it. They _would_ escape...

Only issue? How they were going to do that, of course... And neither of them had the slightest clue as to how they would pull it off. Or, when... If ever.

Oo-oOo-oO

"Right... Just how are we meant to get out?"

Toothless growled, looking from Hiccup to their destination. He _totally_ hadn't prompted Crimseara to tell him about pretty much the entire layout of Asgard.

And, the Bifrost, or the Rainbow Bridge, which apparently connected Midgard to Asgard.

So, if his hunch was correct, crossing it would basically send them back to the planet of Mortal Humans.

Mortal Humans... It sounded so weird, did that. He had obviously heard things about Immortals from other dragons over the years, especially before he met Hiccup and the nest relayed a LOT of their faith on the Gods, but he had never exactly believed in them...

But now that he had seen living, breathing evidence, he was more scared than he was in awe.

Being a Night Fury, and the 'most lethal' dragon known to human-kind, had its ups and downs, and its perks. One of those was the unexplainable and mutual respect he had from his fellow dragons- no one dared challenge him, well, aside from dragons like the False Queen, the Red Death, or a Bewilderbeast. So basically, any dragon who wasn't a Alpha of some kind respected him. Even then, the snowy Bewilderbeast of the Dragon Sanctuary, the good Alpha, had given him his own privacy and respect. That's what had made him so noble and gentle, in his opinion.

Now that Alpha was gone... Now he was gone. And the muddy Bewilderbeast, the one who had so foolishly bowed down to that cursed menace, Drago Bludvist, had been a nightmare. He had no mercy, nothing the good Alpha had. He had killed his Alpha in cold blood, only to become a tool to his master.

He hated Drago Bludvist. The man had used him through the Bewilderbeast. Had he not been controlled by the bad Alpha, perhaps Toothless would have felt sorry for him. But he couldn't, no after what they had been through...

It haunted him. He had killed his own rider. His Hiccup.

"Toothless..."

Perhaps that was why he was thankful he didn't sleep with Hiccup. The nightmares would have him groaning, twisting and turning in his restless night- sometimes, when she passed by with her rider, or decided to sleep in the towers, Crimseara would comfort him, sometimes even sleep beside him.

At first, it had been enough to fight off the nightmares. Then, they got worse.

"Toothless!"

Now that he thought about it, for what reasons did he even _deserve_ Hiccup?! He had _killed_ him, yet Hiccup brushed it off with some tears, pretty much a lecture made of words, and tons of hugs. He couldn't ignore the pure terror he felt, every time he wanted to shoot something with his Plasma Blast. He knew he had control of his fire, but what if he suddenly sneezed during it? What if he mistakenly shot his amazing, kind and loving Hiccup? What if-

"TOOTHLESS!"

The dragon stopped cold, confused and blinded for a split second. _What_? Shaking his head, he growled in confusion. Hiccup had a hand on his head, looking worried.

"Bud? What's wrong?" His rider asked, and he stared at the ground below in shock. Had he really just zoned out? Had that ever actually happened before? What was _wrong_ with him? They were _supposed_ to be rescuing a friend and his dragon, not getting _killed_ because he couldn't think straight!

Hiccup looked ahead, squinting Into the distance. "Bud, I don't know how we're going to get out of here... At least there are lights on, so we can see where we're going... No one's still awake, but we have to be careful, Bud. We don't want to get caught."

 _Right_ , Toothless thought to himself. _Getting out of here_. _Rainbow time_.

He flew forward, taking him to where two large walls curved upward, reaching a point that wasn't connected. Hiccup was obviously confused. But Toothless knew what he was doing.

Diving lower, he neatly dipped between them. Hiccup gasped, as he growled in surprise.

The bridge itself was a long road, apparently supported by nothing, although the Night Fury presumed it didn't need it. It flowed with fast moving rainbow rays, beautiful and quite bright at this time of night. The two had never actually paid attention to the road that ran through the city, as they had usually flown to anywhere that was far away from the Hall and the towers. Especially when they went to the Palace, which had only been a few times. The Bifrost appeared to run from the Palace to the Observatory, where the ever-open Portal to Midgard was located.

"Bud... What is that?" Toothless ignored his rider; he would see eventually. Hiccup realised his dragon's intentions, deciding to trust his dragon. "Go ahead, then..."

Toothless sped onwards, flying close to the road's surface. He wasn't sure if you could actually walk on the bridge, so he stuck to flying. Besides, who knew how long it would take to actually reach the other side on foot.

Three minutes later, and they were there- staying high in the night sky, littered with bright stars, he looked down, now stuck on what to do.

He hadn't really accounted for the guard.

Now that he actually looked a bit deeper, it was probably a God. After all, considering how important the actual portal was, why would Odin only station one guard? He had to have ensured a lot of trust on this one guard. The man was wearing different armour to the other soldiers, so that only made him more convinced he wasn't a normal Asgardian.

He looked at his rider, who, being the deviously clever man he was, had already grasped what was up, and was now formulating a plan, no doubt.

"Okay, Bud. Here's what we're going to do."

Oo-oOo-oO

The Throne Room doors swung open, revealing Aloysius, looking angry, yet worried as worried got.

Odin frowned, standing in his throne. "Shur'tugal, what is it?"

"Hiccup!" the man gasped, and Odin felt fear creep into him. "He- and don't ask how- found out about the new rider!"

"WHAT?"

Aloysius briefly flicked his gaze to the side, as his dragon appeared, her blood red scales shining in the faint light of the Erisdar.

Crimseara growled, only confirming what her rider said. _Toothless, the reckless lizard, has accompanied him- he was not in his quarters, and would undoubtedly not let his Rider do it on his own_. She paused, her pupils narrowing.

 _The reckless fools got out the city, crossed the Bifrost, and somehow managed to get past Heimdall!_ Crimseara's wings were flared up, her ear plates pressed against the side of her neck, tail lashing furiously behind her. As they always did when she was angry, her nostrils glowed with the embers of her fire. _They're on their way to Scarlet's Fortress as we speak, no doubt_.

Odin cursed under his breath, staring at the ground. It looked like they would have to make a move of rescue after all.

"Prepare a Rescue team-" He ordered. "-And gather your fellow Shur'tugalar and their Skulblakas. You are going to take back our Rider."

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N:**

 **Yep. That just happened. I just left you on that cliffhanger, like the evil she-demon I am.**

 **I'm not going to say anything else, but for those who are hoping to see more of this AU, here is something to dwell on;**

 **Angels Fall - Flashing Fear and Shimmering Scales.**

 **I'M EVIL.**

 **Crystallion12.**


	20. Chapter 19- Rage and Rescue

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **SUMMARY –** **They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **NOTICES:**

 **-I currently have a Poll on my Profile Page. It Is for 'Reckless or Selfless?' and is about naming the Deathsong.**

 **-Speaking of ROS, the One-Shot, 'Hush Now, Quiet Now' will hopefully be up soon. ;)**

 **-I will be going away for 4 days starting tomorrow. I may post something, as I am bringing my laptop. However, Private Messages and all that good stuff are under same circumstances, although I may take longer to respond. Thank you for your understanding.**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 ** _Pietersielie_ \- Oh. Dear. I'm dead... Are you going to blood eagle me? Wait, no- my dad has to do that, and he would never... Hmm... How about being burned alive on a stake? Oh come on, you can't possibly tell me I don't get a choice of my method of execution! NO FAIR! And yes, I shall flaunt it oh so openly! FWAHAHA! Thanks for your consistent support and reviews! **

**_The Shadow Fright Dragon_ \- You know, something tells me this isn't going to be fun... 'Sighs' I'm evil. PURE. EVIL. MWAHHAAHHAA! Thanks so much for the review- I also loved one of your fanfictions, 'Revealing The Truth Of A Dragon Rider's Story'. :D**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 19: Rage and Rescue**

 **WARNING: THIS CHAPTER WILL CONTAIN PIECES OF LANGUAGE, DEATH, AND RATHER HEAVY BLOOD AND GORE FOR ONE STAGE. VIEWER DISCREMINATION IS ADVISED, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.**

A dark dragon, black as night, swooped down on the Fortress, landing on a cliff's ledge. Its toxic green eyes flickered in the light of the large torches, most likely lit by the dragons guarding the entrance. The young man on the dragon's back frowned, confused.

 _This is a bad idea_. Toothless thought, as his rider inspected the two guards, their heads, chest, thighs and back with strong but dented and used armour, strapped on tightly, undoubtedly uncomfortable.

Hiccup felt a twinge in his mind, one that didn't feel like him, but yet was so familiar. It was a feeling of unsettlement, and discomfort. Not really knowing why he was doing what he was doing, his hand subconsciously rested on Toothless' neck, feeling the dragon's muscles tense under his thick, scaly hide.

Eyes still focused on the two dragons, he bit his lip.

This could be a problem.

"Alright, Bud... If we set up a distraction, they'll go and investigate... But there's bound to be more here... It's weird, Toothless." Hiccup's voice hushed to a worried whisper, his brow quite possible twitching. "I always thought Drago was the overlord here... But if he bows to this Queen... I don't know who's the villain any more. Who do you think this, 'Queen Scarlet' is, any way?"

Hiccup looked down at his dragon, who growled, concerned, but puzzled, none the wiser.

Oo-oOo-oO

 _THIS IS A REALLY BAD IDEA. THIS IS A REALLY REALLY BAD IDEA_.

"Okay, Bud, when I say fire, you shoot your Plasma Blast at that wall, right there. Got it?" Toothless nodded, shaking now.

 _THIS IS YOUR WORST IDEA YET_.

Hiccup patted his neck, completely unaware his dragon was on the verge of having an accident in

his paranoia. "After we draw the dragons out, we slip inside. See? Simple."

 _WE'RE GOING TO DIE!_

Hiccup frowned, grimacing, noticing a pool of liquid gathered underneath Toothless... And gods, did it smell disgusting. "Come on Bud, let's move over there... That stinks... _What is that_?!"

To say in the least, the _unholy_ offspring of _lightning_ and _death_ , the lethal, majestic, deadly and oh so powerful Night Fury, slayer of the Red Death, was seriously, mercifully glad he was a silent tinker...

Oo-oOo-oO

Dragon and Rider walked in the cover of darkness, eyes never moving off of the guards gathering at the shattered wall. They were making lots of noise, snapping and growling at each other, tails lashing and teeth being bared.

Toothless swallowed back a lump in his throat, his mind suddenly drifting to horrible memories.

This type of event had been not uncommon back in the time of the Red Death, the False Queen, and at the time of desperation and dark, much more than whacking the other dragon's flank in annoyance happened. Often, fights ended up with jaws around necks, snapping of bones, ripping of limbs off bodies, as blood and guts flew onto the other's scales, their claws drenched, dripping with hot, sticky blood.

He shuddered at the memories, now greatly saddened. He had lost his only loved one to those fights, the other to the False Queen's greedy jaws. The only ones he had cared about, before he met Hiccup.

Speaking of Hiccup, the young man was looking at him worriedly as they approached the Fortress, wondering what had his dragon so lost in thought. It was such a strange sight, in retrospect. Toothless had always looked so confident and sure.

As a loud roar echoed through the night, Hiccup and his Night Fury froze in their tracks- by the wall, the dragons screeched and cowered.

Hiccup gasped.

Very few words could describe the terrifying, yet beautiful creature, as it slithered out of a high cave on the mountain. Larger than the Red Death, Hiccup made the unbelievable estimate, that it was just a little smaller than a Bewilderbeast. It was the only thing he had ever seen that would fit in the huge halls of Asgard, and it then dawned on him; the monstrosity was a dragon.

Unfurling pale red wings, that were soon revealed to nearly double the length of

Its crimson scales were a tint darker than Crimseara's scales, and glittered in the torch's light. Its eyes were a menacing, piercing orange-yellow, with clearly angry, narrow slitted pupils. A line of sharp, deadly spikes ran all down the dragon's neck, spine and all down its tail, gold and shimmery. Its claws were the same precious stone's colour, as were the horns on its head.

As the dragon stormed its way over to the dragons, fury in its expression, Hiccup wondered if the dragon was somehow related to the Gods, or Crimseara- they sure shared a lot of aspects.

So, he wasn't entirely surprised to hear it speak in perfect Norse...

The dragon snarled in the dragon's faces, sharp white teeth gleaming in the firelight. "SHUT THE FUCK UP, OR I WILL RIP YOUR TONGUES OUT, AND MAKE YOU!"

Flinching at the harsh, explicit language used by the huge dragon, who he presumed was female from her voice, he became alarmed. Toothless' uncontrollable growl had caused the dragon to turn her attention onto them. Praying to the stars above she wouldn't discover them and tear them to shreds, a whole minute passed before she decided it was made by a guard. Roaring at them, in what he presumed would be even more cursing in dragon language, she lashed her tail out. It ended up getting caught on the rocks, leaving a shower of pain in its wake.

As if it wasn't already bad enough, in her fury, she reached out, grabbing a screeching dragon in her talons. A second later, she screeched in fury, smashing the dragon down into the earth...

Unfortunately, Hiccup hadn't covered his eyes in time.

Watching, horrified and about to vomit, as the dragon splatted like a fly on the rock, its limbs ripping from the joints, its wings snapping. As its entire underneath split open, it bathed the murderous dragon's paw in blood and guts. Even Toothless felt his insides churning, mostly from the horrific scream of the dragon as he came down. The other dragons howled in terror, most of them releasing the contents of their stomach.

The crimson beast simply looked at it, first with fury, which soon turned into annoyance and a tinge of disgust. Her snout wrinkling from the smell of steely, pungent blood, she lifted her paw, and grimaced. Scales, gunk, blood and guts were stuck to her paw, between her talons, covering her claws. It stretched like a strand of goo, and she shook it off, suddenly regretting her action, as it meant she would have to clean her paw now.

Hiccup couldn't deny it any longer; this dragon was the most dangerous creature in all the known worlds. And, undoubtedly the most violent, revolting, scary... He could write an entire book, the list of nasty words describing her was that long!

Trying not to throw up as she _actually_ pinned a dragon to tear its tongue out, he gave Toothless a a little nudge to get him moving; they needed to act, and fast.

Hiccup looked away, swallowing rapidly approaching bile down his trembling throat. Yep, this was going to traumatise him. Permanently. Toothless, on the other hand, was not only shaking, but scared out of his mind- not so much for him, but for his precious Hiccup. He had a hunch that this was that Queen- and if Queen meant what he thought it meant...

Getting out alive wasn't a very likely outcome...

And this bad idea was suddenly even worse; which really shouldn't be possible.

Oo-oOo-oO

Silus groaned as he woke, pain shooting into his right hip. Reaching down, his hand hovered over the injury, as it was remembered. Slowly, his hand moved away, sitting on his chest.

A coo entered his hearing, and he sighed, as Aurora nuzzled his foot, her pupils wide with concern.

"I'm okay girl..." He said softly, really wishing he could just let all of his worried go and fall into a peaceful, endless slumber. "Just some pain... Nothing I can't handle..." He was pretty sure the intelligent dragoness didn't buy it, and was simply tolerating it, but to be honest, that was good enough for him.

Just as he was about to fall back asleep, Aurora suddenly growled, jumping to her feet. "Fuck, what now..." He muttered, leaning up. He clenched his teeth. Thor, did that hurt...

Minutes passed, and the Night Fury's posture remained the same. Silus sighed.

Nothing new.

"Go to sleep, girl. I can't be bothere-"

 _Bang_.

Whipping his head up, he stared at the door, alarmed.

 _Bang_.

He was pretty convinced. The noise graced his ears again, and it sounded pretty positive, in his opinion.

The guards never tried to break down his door.

"Help!" He cried, and Aurora seemed to get the memo. She started roaring, scratching at the ground since her claws couldn't reach the door.

And, after what felt like an eternity, the door swung open- revealing a man, standing with a Night Fury.

Silus felt his jaw drop and body go rigid, frozen with shock and disbelief.

" _Hiccup_?!"

Oo-oOo-oO

"B-b-ut- but... But you're... You're meant to be _DEAD_!"

Hiccup scratched the back of his neck, sighing. "It's a long story..." He explained. "It's Silus... Right? I know you're from Berk, but... I don't really remember you..." The Dragon Rider awkwardly shifted on his feet- well, peg leg and foot- and eyed him.

Toothless cooed, rushing inside the room, making a bee-line for Aurora. He immediately blasted the chains, freeing the dragoness.

They happily danced around each other's feet, their tails making entwining motions, batting wings. They exchanged happy cooes, warbles and growls, and Hiccup couldn't help his grin. Casting his eyes aside, he saw the younger Viking also beaming.

Hiccup whistled, and Toothless stopped, running back to his rider, roaring happily. They had finally seen another Night Fury!

The rider hugged his dragon, before turning his attention to Silus, expression now serious.

"Come on," he said. "We need to get out of here, before that big dragon is done with those guards..." The not-so-dead duo shuddered, never wishing to see anything like it again. "Because I've got a feeling she won't be happy when she discovers us." Hiccup jumped onto Toothless' back, as did Silus; they'd get out faster with the dragons running.

The two dragons, after making sure their riders were secure, set off with a fast bound, their paws pounding against the almost slippery, cold smooth floor.

"This dragon," Hiccup said. "Do you... Know her?"

"Wait... Are you talking about Queen Scarlet?" Silus asked. Mentally, he prayed she wouldn't find out about them... If she did... If she got her claws on Hiccup and Toothless... He shuddered just at the thought. Hiccup had tilted his head, Toothless now watching with one eye whilst listening. "Huge red dragon, usually wearing jewellery, with enormous wings, a horrible personality, and gold spikes and claws...? She's kinda hard to miss... Literally..."

"Yep..." Hiccup gulped. "That's her... I overheard my friends talking about some 'Queen Scarlet' but I had no idea it was a _huge, evil dragon_."

Silus chuckled softly. "Trust me, you're not the first... She's awful."

"I know... And to my chagrin... We saw."

Silus didn't ask about it any further; he already had a rather good grasp of what trauma and nightmares the two would face in the near future.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

The two dragons halted, coming across a huge, empty room. The walls were a dark crimson, decorated with gold pillars. The floor was soft red plush, and felt nice under the Night Furies' claws. Especially for Aurora, who had only felt cold rock with stubbed claws.

"So..." Silus drew out. "What now?"

Hiccup sighed, nearly cursing in his annoyance. He had been so stupid to not even leave a trail. Toothless cooed reassuringly, as if reading his mind.

For a brief moment, Hiccup's mind drifted to that- as of lately, he kept feeling strange emotions, and thoughts in his mind, that felt like they were not his own; yet, they felt so right and in place. Perhaps he would ask Aloysius or Crimseara about it... That was, when they got back. And only fate knew when _that_ would happen.

Needing to stretch his legs, and relieve Aurora of the excess weight, Silus slid off of Aurora's back, wincing. Hiccup frowned, spotting multiple gashes and scars underneath his torn tunic. "Are you ok?" He asked, concerned. Silus merely nodded.

"So, what do we do?" The teen said. Hiccup blinked, and nodded, thinking. He paced back and forth, Toothless growling at his rider's stressful aura. Hiccup quickly apologised, albeit a tad bit confused by how his dragon picked it up so easily. In his state of mind, he didn't even hear the approaching footsteps, of the sound of a dagger being unsheathed.

"I really don't know." Hiccup said truthfully. "We didn't come this way, that's for sure... Maybe we should turn back, and... No, that wouldn't work..."

Silus looked his way, and his eyes immediately widened with horror. Aurora roared in desperation. Worst of all was Toothless, who screamed as agony tore through his heart, mind and soul.

And in a rush of mental power, his mind connected with his rider.

 _HICCUUPP_!

Hiccup turned around, just as an eleven inch dagger drove through his abdomen.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N:**

 **I am evil. And you most likely won't get an update for at least 4 days.**

 **Next Chapter:**

 **Chapter 20: Fire and Fury**

 **NO COMMENT OR SPOILERS ARE ALLOWED. LOOK FOR EVIDENCE, IT EXISTS.**

 **Crystallion12.**


	21. Chapter 20- Fire and Fury

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **SUMMARY –** **They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **NOTICES:**

 **-The Deathsong is now named! Her name is Melody, which was revealed in my recent fanfiction in the AU, 'A Friend in Sea & Fire'. Thanks for all your votes, and support!**

 **-Speaking of ROS, the One-Shot, 'Hush Now, Quiet Now' will hopefully be up soon. ;)**

 **-I'm back from holiday! Update spree, begins now!**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 ** _Pietersielie_ \- **

**BWAHAHAH! Oh yes, that is priceless, my good friend... Simply. Priceless. I know I'm evil. I try, I truly try. It's just so... So.. Moving! :'D Thanks for the review, pal! AND SERIOUSLY, TONE DOWN ON THE LANGUAGE, DUDE! 'About fifteen chapters later in this fic, Hiccup is swearing his ass off'...I. Said. Nothing. XD (At least you censored it this time... Lol.)**

 ** _The Shadow Fright Dragon_ \- **

**Hmm... We'll see. Haha, yep Silus, Aurora, and Toothless need to work on that... They do need to work on it, and someone will tell them so. Yes, indeed, they shall need luck... And, some trusty dragon-winged riders and their Skulblakas, who will be introduced soon enough... No spoilers! As always, thanks a ton for the review and support!**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 20: Fire and Fury**

There had been no warning, no time to react. No time to prevent the event.

Hiccup hadn't suspected his foe's sneaky move. He didn't think anyone had been waiting, lingering, in the forbidding shadows, ready to pounce. Ready to stab. Ready to kill.

As piercing agony shot into his veins like a rush of water, he gasped, trying to scream, but finding nothing in him to do so. Lights danced in his vision, and a horrible shaking began. He was held up by only the dagger in his stomach.

He looked down, then back up at his dragon and the ones he had hoped to rescue.

Toothless, eyes wide with horror, and agony on his features, frozen and not breathing, watched as he fell.

He opened his mouth to speak, and found he couldn't. So he mouthed his words, which would probably be his last. _I love you Bud_. He thought, as everything went black.

Oo-oOo-oO

 _Thunk._

The Night Fury watched, as the dagger slipped out of his abdomen, and he fell to the floor with that horrible _thunk_ he hated.

But nothing could ever compare to the hate he felt when his rider's assassin revealed himself.

First, came the initial shock.

 _No_.

It couldn't be him...

But it was. He was back. That madman was back.

And he had just stabbed his rider...….His rider... HIS. RIDER.

The hate that ran through him in that very moment was unlike anything he had _ever_ felt before.

When Dagur had once stabbed his rider, he had wanted to kill the Berserker- but nothing like this. He had been able to control his rage back then, but this... But this, was why he was called 'The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself'.

He felt burning hot rage, rage unlike any other.

He had lost his precious Hiccup once. And now, he might have done it again.

Toothless's eyes narrowed to slits that he was certain were thinner than when that bad Alpha had controlled him- when Hiccup had been killed.

He hadn't brought blood and massacre to that man then; he wouldn't let it happen to any one else. Nit if he had any claws to use, and roars and snarls to say.

So he would kill this man. He would tear him apart. And he would exact his revenge for his Rider.

Even if it was the last thing he'd do.

Oo-oOo-oO

Drago smirked, knowing the Night Fury would pounce any second now.

And indeed, he did.

It honestly impressed him- he knew very well how furious and bloodthirsty dragons, especially Night Furies, could get when their rider was injured or threatened.

But this dragon was quite interesting.

The bond between him and his way-too-naive rider was deeper than anything he had seen in his lifetime.

The Night Fury, who he believed was named 'Toothless', for some odd reason, leaped at him with the drive and force of a Marsh Tiger, and the intentions of a Skullion, and a roar that shook the ground.

Jumping out the way, he drew his pitch black sword, slashing it across the Night Fury's underbelly. Somewhere in the background, he heard shouting, but paid it little attention. He had a dragon to kill.

Roaring in agony and fury, the dragon ignored the wound, firing a deadly Plasma Blast at him. Swerving sideways, it hit the wall behind him, burning a giant hole in the concrete. They continued this way, Drago slashing with his sword, and Toothless biting, blasting and leaping almost blindly. The dragon was losing stamina, which would probably be because of his rider's slowly dying consciousness and blood loss.

It wouldn't be long now. Soon, the prophesied Dragon Rider of the legendary Ancestral Night Fury would be dead. Dead and gone.

And he and his dragon would finally be free.

Oo-oOo-oO

As soon as the man made his first move on Toothless, and he had his sole attention on Hiccup's Night Fury, Silus made a run for the dying rider.

Trying to not look at the sickening pool of gathering blood, he knelt down by Hiccup, who appeared to be unconscious... It didn't take an idiot to know that was yak-shit level of bad. Not really being all that gentle as he grabbed him in his arms, as he was panicking here, he shouted at the rider.

Hiccup moaned, his eyes weakly fluttering somewhat open. Immediately after, the pain came to his doorstep, and he gasped, head pressing into the teens stomach. Silus gulped, shaking like a leaf. He really wished he had paid attention to those emergency lessons (which no one ever listened too...).

He barely registered Aurora was even there by him, until she roared weakly, not having a clue what to do with the case either.

"I... I don't kn- I don't know what to do! I'm not- I'm not a healer...!" He whimpered, blood now covering his fingers and shirt. The young man was barely moving, eyes fighting to stay open. In his terror, he didn't hear the shriek that shattered the windows in the other rooms- he didn't hear the terrified and dying screams outside. Aurora did.

 _SILUS!_ Her mind connected with his so suddenly, it snapped him out of his trance. He gasped, just as a enormous bellow reached his ears.

The roof suddenly collapsed in, and Silus yelped, just as his dragon threw her wings over them.

Oo-oOo-oO

Toothless felt nothing but rage. Nothing but it. Nothing but the desire to murder the one who dared to even _touch_ his rider.

Woken from his trance by a roar, he shook his head roughly, eyes dilating from the stress he had put on them. Drago suddenly snarled, but rather than striking, he ducked for cover by the far walls, and Toothless soon followed. Heart racing, he crashed by the wall just as the roof caved in, a huge shriek splitting the air.

Eyes wide, he watched as a huge red dragon came through. At first, he feared it was Queen Scarlet. That was, until he saw Aloysius on her back, looking ready to kill a thousand men and a dozen Bewilderbeast- including Drago.

Oo-oOo-oO

Aloysius knew that Drago would try and kill Hiccup and Toothless...

Just not like this.

He barely had time to register everything that had happened before a roar entered his hearing, and the one dragon he really didn't want to see here came in through a empty hall.

Black as night, and eyes red and furious, he watched Drago's Skulblaka, Deathstar, leap into the scene, breathing his green flames dangerously near to him and Crimseara.

Jumping out the way just in time, he silently thanked their old teacher, who had taught his dragon to be so quick-minded and _fast_.

As soon as that happened, Drago ran over to his dragon in a few quick bounds, swinging onto the massive black beast's back, as they locked into combat with Crimseara, red meeting black. It was a touch match-up, with Deathstar being slightly bigger, and more muscular and brutal.

Swinging off of his dragon, he made a wild dash to where Hiccup was being held in a teens arms (who he presumed was Silus), and froze upon sight.

Hiccup had bee stabbed.

Oh, was Drago going to regret his actions when he got his hands on him...

But right now, he had to save the one he saw more as a son than a friend. The boy moved out the way as soon as he came around, shaking profusely. "I... He... What do we... I don't... Know..." Aloysius touched the young rider's shoulder. He took the injured rider into his arms, gulping at the blood while he applied pressure to the wound. Behind him, he heard the teen say something about how he forgot that.

Barely conscious of what was going on, Hiccup blinked up at his new holder. He wasn't sure, but the fuzzy figure reminded him of Aloysius... He opened his mouth to speak, but found no words. He didn't have to be aware of his surroundings to know he was heavily bleeding, and rapidly dying.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, back up arrived.

It came in the form of Aloysius' fellow Shur'tugalar and their massive dragons, one duo coming down into the room.

The red-winged man quickly recognised the pair as Giselle and her green dragon Kazenor. The latter immediately shot a bright jet of flame expertly over Crimseara's spread wing and directly onto Deathstar's neck, the victim screeching In pain and surprise. Most sound was blocked out by the dragons' roars, and Giselle had both ears covered as the Humanblaka over.

Eyes locking onto Hiccup, and the terrified Silus, she quickly grasped the situation. Leaping off her mount, who shrieked and shot another jet of flame at Deathstar, she yelled something to Silus and Aurora. The teen jumped on his Night Fury, and Kazenor bounded over, warbling.

"Aloysius! Code 13!"

The man nodded, handing Hiccup over to Kazenor, who gently placed the young man onto his scaly back. Roaring, he sped down the hall, his rider mounting him mid-run. Aurora and Silus quickly followed, as did Toothless.

Toothless didn't know how this could of happened- one minute, everything had been going so well...

And the next, he was running frantically down this hall, his precious rider on the verge of death...

Again. He wasn't sure whether he should be mad, or worried...

Perhaps he should be used to this by now. Perhaps this shouldn't scare him... But he knew better. He knew not everything ended happily, no matter how hard you tried...

He couldn't lose Hiccup.

Not again.

Not after he had just got his little one back... Not now.

...But something about the agony tearing at his heart said otherwise.

Oo-oOo-oO

 **A/N:**

 **Well, I actually finished this on my last night on vacation... When I probably should have been sleeping.**

 **It's now midnight (exactly 12 o'clock, haha), and I've got a horrible feeling this is all going to bite me in the ass tomorrow morning ( _This is next day_... Lol... It did... I yawned about 20 times within three hours) , at half 8 when I have to get up and pack... Ugh. I hate packing, getting up early, and most if all, five hour long car rides (it turned out to be, like, six) ... UGH.**

 **Oh well. At least in the end I'll be home, with my lovely fluffy doggies (the sausage and the sulky pup) in my arms. And good internet. XD**

 **LOVE YOU ALL! Oh, and, no spoilers!**

 **Crystallion12.**


	22. Chapter 21- Return to Asgard

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **SUMMARY –** **They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **NOTICES:**

 **-The Deathsong is now named! Her name is Melody, which was revealed in my recent fanfiction in the AU, 'A Friend in Sea & Fire'. Thanks for all your votes, and support!**

 **-Speaking of ROS, the One-Shot, 'Hush Now, Quiet Now' will hopefully be up soon. ;)**

 **-'Fanfiction Fails 1- Watching a Fake series' Is now complete!**

 **-Based off of a scene from this chapter and the following, there will be a One-Shot centring Hiccup and Aloysius! No spoilers, though. Once you read this chapter, It'll make a bit more sense.**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 ** _Pietersielie_ \- **

**Of course I can't be redeemed! I'm a fangirl who loves torturing her characters! And yes, you ARE going to get more cliffies... Sorry, pal. It's just what I do. Although we do get something much nicer now. Thx for the review!**

 _ **TimberJackRider-**_

 **Haha! Well, here you are. One TIW chappy, just completed now. And I think you'll be very relieved to read this one. Also, just want to say, your support and reviews are amazing! I'm truly impressed, thank you so much! 'Hugs'**

 ** _The Shadow Fright Dragon-_**

 **Haha, yeah, it took all I had to NOT kill Drago right then and there... Unfortunately, plot stands in the way. AGAIN. I won't give away any spoilers, but I'll say this- I laughed incredibly hard with the whole 'back on Berk' thing. Gods, that was hilarious! So much so, I've decided I'll do a lil' One-Shot on it... Of course, if that's fine with you. As always, thanks so much for the continues support, and reviews!**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 21: Return to Asgard**

"Faster, Garitirus!" Valerie's dragon grunted, snorting as he pumped his all into the massive golden wings keeping them aloft in the great, vast sky. The Shur'tugal held the injured Night Fury's rider in her arms, as he whimpered and shifted closer into her.

"Hold on, Dragon Rider... Just a little longer. Boy, how long until you can open a rift to Asgard?"

Garitirus twisted his thick, muscular neck around, grimacing with sorrow in his eyes. The boy had only gotten worse since they flew ahead of the others.

Normally, someone could have healed the Rider with magic, but everyone was already exhausted, and to top it off, the area was protected magically- a spell of healing could easily be a death sentence.

He cooed. _Valerie, it won't be for at least another two hours_... He nudged the boy's limp hand, receiving only a soft whine, which was rather concerning. _It won't be much longer, hatchling. Just hold on a couple more hours, alright_? Garitirus looked up at the darkening sky, the sun setting in the west. Tonight, the moon would be full, the stars bright; his human would be able to see In the dark.

Turning his attention back to his passengers, he briefly locked concerned eyes with Valerie. He breathed softly on the young man in her arms. _You're going to be alright, hatchling_... He gazed at the stars, wondering what would happen if the young one died... _You have to be_.

Whispering mostly to himself, he flew lower to avoid the cold winds of the clouds. _You have to pull through, hatchling_. His icy blue eyes sparkled faintly. _Your destiny awaits_.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

In Aloysius' opinion, getting back to Asgard took way too long. At least, for his liking.

After the others had arrived, Valerie had taken Hiccup away on her golden Skulblaka, Garitirus, flying with a head start in order to get the Dragon Rider to help as fast as possible. Also, they seemed to have the most energy left, despite the fact they only just recently came back from a important mission.

He silently urged Crimseara to fly faster, squeezing her gently with his knees. She cooed at him, shaking her head.

Behind them, Toothless was sat, impatient and worried sick, on Kazenor's back, close to Giselle, the other Shur'tugalar and their mounts not far behind. Silus, and his Night Fury Aurora, were struggling to keep up, but were managing so far.

The red-winged man sighed, tapping his knee in agitation. Time to do the History tactic.

"John!" He called out. In response, the rider perked up, growling to attention. "I'm getting dizzy from worrying. Can you enlighten me of the last millennia of history in the Fuyra Archipelago?"

The man sighed, saying something to his mint green, female Skulblaka, Mintydreams, who chortled in amusement. Aloysius decided not to say anything.

A moment later, John nodded. "Sure, pal."

Down near Crimseara's paws was Akura on her pink dragon, Candi, who groaned, flicking her long blonde hair back. "Oh boy," She said draggingly. "Here we go."

 _Oh, lighten up, you. And Alois_? Candi's attention flickered to the male Humanblaka. _Try not to think negative. Just keep your thoughts happy, and hopeful_. She scratched her chin with her pure white claws. _Knowing Garitirus' incredible speed, and his amazing stamina, they'll be back in Asgard long_

 _before us. Don't you worry_.

Aloysius nodded, as John started explaining the long, complicated history of Nightshade dragons and the war with the Snub-nosed Gronckles.

He bit his lip, trying to stay positive, just like how Candi said...

But... What if they were too late?

Oo-oOo-oO

Kazenor touched down, clouds of dust flying up around his feet as he landed. Grunting, the early morning sun reflected on his sea-foam green scales.

Before he had even folded his large wings, Toothless had leaped off his scaly back.

Ignoring the civilians' surprised cries as he rushed past, he ignored how his paws ached. How his wings throbbed. How his throat burned with agony from over using his Plasma Blast. All that mattered right now was Hiccup... His Hiccup...

He had to see him, he just had to.

To be frank, he actually had no idea as to where his rider was, but he had a feeling.

Legs pounding, heart racing, he sprinted towards Hiccup's Quarters, scrambling up the steps, and ignoring the pain streaking through his weakened body.

Panting, he burst inside, nearly knocking down his door. Sucking in his breath, he looked up... And everything slid off his wings like a landslide, relief flooding his every thought and inch of his body. He collapsed, panting.

Hiccup was alive.

Oo-oOo-oO

"Hiccup? Toothless?" Aloysius slipped inside, smiling softly.

The Dragon Rider looked up, eyes weary and exhausted. Toothless was laid beside the bed, head in his rider's arms.

Hiccup sat up, wincing. Despite the magical healing down to save his life, they had still used stitches to patch him back up, not wishing to use magic to completely heal him- they didn't say why, but the young man didn't question it.

"Hmm... Ey... Alois..." He softly sighed, the man sitting on his bed. He happily let himself collapse into the man's arms, resting his head in Aloysius' lap.

Resting his wings on the bed, whilst reaching one arm behind him to stroke Toothless, he yawned. "How do you feel?" He asked, but already knew the answer.

Hiccup chuckled quietly, blearily closing his eyes for a minute. "Exhausted... Everything hurts..."

"I'm not surprised. You did get stabbed pretty badly, Hiccup..." Aloysius lowered his nose into his soft auburn hair, snorting softly. Hiccup leaned into him, returning the affectionate gesture. "You had me so scared..." Aloysius whispered. "I thought I had lost you, just after I found you..."

"Yea..." Hiccup yawned. "Sorry... 'Bout that... It's a habit of mine... Ya know... Nearly dying..."

Toothless growled in annoyance, lightly hitting his beloved rider on his foot with his tail. _I'm aware of that_... He thought, although a moment later, Hiccup froze, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Hiccup? Hiccup, what's wrong?" Aloysius asked worriedly. Hiccup shook his head, still staring.

Toothless warbled, reaching out with his mind to rub a strange presce- wait. That... Was that- Was that Hiccup?

"Aloysius..." the Dragon Rider started slowly. "Why can I hear Toothless' thoughts?"

The Shur'tugal froze. He looked at Toothless, then Hiccup, and then at the dragon again. He took a deep breath. In his own mind, he alerted Crimseara what was going on. After what felt like an eternity, he turned back to the Night Fury and his Rider.

"Hiccup, Toothless..." He said slowly. The two looked on, confused. Toothless slowly slithered around, so he and Hiccup both looked him directly face on.

He met their gazes. "You just bonded."

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N:**

 **Ok, ok. You can put away the pitch forks now. I didn't kill Hiccup! He's still got an important destiny to fulfil, after all.**

 **So, what is this 'bonded' thing? Why is it such a big deal? Well, the next few chapters, you'll get to know just why it's so special- and, just what is going to happen with not only Hiccup and Toothless, but also Silus, and Aurora!**

 **Well, that's it for now, so I'm going to bed. More updates and stories comin' tomorrow, though! '**

 **Love you all!**

 **Crystallion12.**


	23. Chapter 22- They're Ready

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **SUMMARY –** **They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **NOTICES:**

 **-The Deathsong is now named! Her name is Melody, which was revealed in my recent fanfiction in the AU, 'A Friend in Sea & Fire'. Thanks for all your votes, and support!**

 **-Speaking of ROS, the One-Shot, 'Hush Now, Quiet Now' will hopefully be up soon. ;)**

 **-Based off of a scene from this chapter, there will be a cute, light and fluffy One-Shot centring a recovering Hiccup and a fatherly, over-protective Aloysius! No spoilers, though.**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 ** _Pietersielie-_**

 **Aww, really? Oh well, it's your decision (reference to end of this chapter, much?), but I'd like you to continue... Because you might be waiting a while... My estimate for the length of this story is currently 80 chapters... Yeah, you heard me right. 80. Thanks for the review!**

 ** _The Shadow Fright Dragon-_**

 **Yes, I'm not that evil. And, you'll find out where Aurora and Silus' fate lies very, very soon. Not in this chapter, I think it's the next, but I could be wrong. Yeah, I'm on a update spree! YAY! And yeah, it's his strongest habit. STRONGEST. HABIT. AKA, you're gonna see a LOT, as in, HILARIOUSLY AWFULLY CRAZY a LOT, of it in the future. Thx for the review!**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 22: They're Ready**

" _Hiccup, Toothless... You just bonded."_ The words rang through Hiccup's mind the entire night.

Not long after he said those words, Aloysius had said 'they would discuss this another time' and had hugged them goodnight. The dragon-winged man had left, shortly afterwards.

He wondered what Aloysius meant. Ever since that moment, Toothless was silent, the voice had left- the only thing he felt was that presence in the back of his mind, which, he presumed was indeed his dragon.

It confused him greatly; hadn't they already bonded?

Aloysius had said the words with that type of power behind it; but what did he mean?

 _I don't know, Hiccup_. His head snapped up, and his eyes immediately locked on Toothless, who had his head raised, pupils dilated. He nodded, mind gently brushing against his own, causing Hiccup to shudder at the bizarre sensation. _But I feel like this has something to do with it_... The Night Fury slowly approached, cooing. _I waited 20 years for this moment, Little One_.

Hiccup tilted his head; what was his dragon saying? And... Did his dragon just call him, 'Little One'?

The black dragon nuzzled his arm, snorting warm air onto his tensed muscles. _I knew we were destined to be, right from the moment I hatched, all those long moons ago_. He met his rider's gaze. _I just did not know who it would be..._ _I guess that's why I was surprised when I first met you_.

Hiccup lowered his gaze, guilt running into his veins. Toothless had been thinking he was his destined rider, the one he had searched for, his entire life, and he...

He had wanted to kill Toothless.

Sure, things had been cleaned up since then, but still...

 _I'm such an idiot_... Hiccup thought, and Toothless nearly snorted in amusement at Hiccup's obliviousness.

 _Do not think much of it, Hiccup. You are no idiot_. The young man's eyes widened.

"Wait, hold on... Can you hear my thoughts?!" He asked, and his jaw dropped when his dragon dipped his head.

 _I have waited so, so long for the day we could talk like this, Hiccup. There's so much I want to tell you, about my kind, about dragons, about my life, what I've seen and done- but that will have to wait for now_. Toothless nudged his arm lovingly. _I can now hear your thoughts, and you can hear mine_.

Hiccup laughed, as he took his dragon's head into his arms. Gently, he pressed their foreheads together, gazing into his companion's sparkling emerald eyes.

And together, they thought the same thing. _We are one_.

Oo-oOo-oO

Toothless slipped his head inside the room, looking around. He reached his mind out to his rider, secretly adoring and savouring the feel as he connected his consciousness with his precious Hiccup. _You ready to go, Little One_?

 _Yeah. Hold on, Bud_. Hiccup appeared from around the corner, dressed in his black pants and dark green shirt, and a black cape with gold and silver lacing behind him. Toothless himself was wearing two gold 'shoes' on his fore-paws, and a stunning gold collar, that connected to a 'Dragon Cape'. It was black, with gold and silver lacing. It ran over his back, a thin line of fabric, that also flowed underneath his wings, until it connected up. It then flowed down, over his gliders **[1]** , and just touching the floor.

Hiccup winced slightly, still slightly unstable from his injury. It still puzzled him to no end, did the whole scenario. He looked his dragon up and down, before snorting at the cape. _I still say that looks like a dress_. He said to his dragon telepathically, in a amused, bland, matter-of-fact voice. During the last few days, they had pretty much mastered the technique, and had learned to love it nearly as much as flying.

Insulted by his rider's remark, Toothless growled, lightly whacking his rider on the head with his tail, where he wore an automatic tail fin (despite the fact he wouldn't fly without Hiccup). It does not! He snapped, defending his dignity. _It's very majestic, and shows how professional and royal I am_!

Walking outside, closing the door behind him, he smirked. _Yes, yes, it is that too... It's also very girly._

The Night Fury snarled, threatening to hit Hiccup again.

The two continued to jab at each other like this, the entire way to the Palace of Asgard.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

Dragon and Rider walked down the halls of the palace, gold and bright as they remembered them. Hiccup smiled, remembering this was where he was reunited with his best friend.

 _Are you alright_? Toothless suddenly asked, and Hiccup tilted his head In question. _Your stomach. Does it hurt_?

 _No... Not badly_. Hiccup said rubbing his dragon behind the ears affectionately.

Toothless looked dubious, and Hiccup wasn't too sure if he could argue with his dragon's reasoning. _Hiccup, you were STABBED. You should have been KILLED. Are you SURE it doesn't hurt_? The man winced at how harsh it sounded, and how true it just was. However, he didn't get a chance to respond, as a guard approached, and halted before them. The duo turned their attention to the man in golden, standard Asgardian armour.

"Dragon Rider Hiccup, Night Fury Toothless, please enter." The guard courteously stepped back as the doors to the Throne Room opened. Hiccup sucked in a breath, one hand resting on Toothless' neck.

Something told him Odin was _not_ going to be happy.

Oo-oOo-oO

Odin looked down at the Night Fury and his rider, who were in a submissive bow. He had already told them not to bow before him in private, but right now, he couldn't blame them.

They knew _exactly_ what they had done.

"Stand." He ordered quietly. They were silent as they stood onto their feet. He took a deep breath, brow pinched in agitation.

"I'm very disappointed in you two. Although I do not know how in all existence you found out of Silus and Aurora, I know that you completely ignored your own safety in your actions. And for this, I ought to punish you thoroughly..."

Toothless had a fire in his eyes, that almost challenged, _dared_ Odin to even try and lift a finger to harm his rider, which honestly made sense. The dark dragon had been through a lot of trauma lately; he had watched his own rider get fatally _stabbed_ by their worst enemy. Nearly killed by the _same_ madmanwho had killed him before. It was no wonder the dragon was more protective and cautious than ever before.

"But I will not. For one, if I did, I would be no better than Queen Scarlet herself for harming you. Secondly, I do not wish to become the next name on your dragon's kill list, which, I assure you, Is rather long, and there are a lot of souls on there you are not familiar with, Hiccup." Toothless' eyes narrowed; how did Odin know?!

He sucked in another breath. "But that aside..." His gaze hardened. "What you did was foolish, reckless, and completely ignorant of consequence. You could have been killed!"

Dragon and Rider lowered their heads in shame, sharing a worried glance. They looked back up at the God with fear and a plead for forgiveness in their eyes. "But,"

"It was also brave, and selfless. And I understand your motives." Hiccup and Toothless slightly slumped in relief, and he continued. "Silus was from Berk, and Toothless, I believe you have not seen another Night Fury since hatching."

Hiccup looked at his dragon friend, looking at the ground, silent and thoughtful. He hadn't known that- he'd presumed it had only been since the dreaded Night Fury had fisrt appeared in the sky, 4 years after he was born... Then again, if Toothless had been searching for him since hatching, then... What did that mean...?

"Now, that aside, if I am correct, something else happened on that night." The duo looked at one another with a knowing look.

"You two made a connection, did you not?"

Hiccup shuffled, searching for the right words. He wound up with just one. "...Yes?"

"You did, and I can feel it right now. It is very strong, is your bond. Now, without delving too deep into the lore, let me explain why such a connection has been made."

"Long ago, there were Dragon Riders, who protected, and hailed from a far away land in a unknown Realm, the continent they inhabited known as Alagaesia. Wars raged and races came to the land native to dragon kind, before eventually, the Dragon Riders formed. Evil rose among them, and they fell. Years and years later, one rider who bonded with a blue dragoness, defeated him. They left their home to raise more riders." He paused to breath, the now bonded duo in front of him looking mystified and intrigued.

"Now, I am not too familiar with what happened after that, as it is a secret only well known by the dragon riders of today. They are immortal, gifted with inhuman abilities, and magic- although it was not the case back in the time of the First Generation of Riders, now these warriors possess dragon wings, which match the colour of their bonded dragon."

He continued. "After bonding, they can hear one another's thoughts- if they so choose, they can become immortal, and join the ranks of the Shur'tugalar and their Skulblakas. That is what immortal dragons and their riders are named, as the name of their race, is said to seal who they are. After bonding, they become one- they are soul-mates for life. Only death can do them part."

Hiccup looked at Toothless, absolutely gob-smacked. He was not expecting _any_ of this. His dragon looked just as shocked.

Odin continued, stroking the back of one of his ravens, the other perched on his shoulder. "Aloysius, and Crimseara are one of these duos. And," He looked at them with a glimmer in one eye. "You can become one of those."

Hiccup stood frozen for a second, before spluttering on his own words, until eventually, something valid came out. "WHAT?!"

The ruler of Asgard nodded respectively. "If you wish, you can become a Shur'tugal, and your dragon, a Skulblaka. I cannot say much on it, but if you wish to return to Berk one day, and save Midgard from Queen Scarlet, it is what must be done."

He looked on sternly. "It is your choice, and cannot be made by any other."

The man uneasily looked to Toothless, who was looking at his claws, expression unreadable. Toothless? He asked. Bud, what do you think...?

 _I go where you go. I do what you do_.

Toothless cooed. _Hiccup, I would fly from Asgard to Hel and back just to be with you. It's your choice_.

Hiccup looked up, his decision final, his mind set.

"We'll do it."

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Next Chapter:**

 **So That's What You Meant**

 **A/N:**

 **Well, things are starting to get tense, huh? Starting to make more sense? 'Glares playfully at Pietersielie'.**

 **Just wanted to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for how far we've come- seriously, this was my first fanfic (that wasn't a One-Shot, my very first was 'The Last Touch')... And it's been about 5 months now, and we're already on Chapter 22!**

 **I can't thank you guys enough for all the support and inspiration you've given me- as of now, we're on 56 Follows, 43 Reviews (which I find amazing), and 34 favourites!**

 **Seriously, I'm mind blown. Thank you so, so much, guys! I love you so much! FREE HUGS!**

 **REFERENCES-**

 **[1]- gliders – The second, smaller set of wings on a Night Fury, used for steering and assistance when gliding through the air. (Not official/cannon)**

 **LOVE YOU ALL TO BITS!**

 **Crystallion12.**


	24. Chapter 23- I HAVE A TAIL!

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **SUMMARY –** **They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **NOTICES:**

 **-There is a new Poll on my Profile Page, and it'll mean a LOT to me if you vote. There is quite a bit there, I'm afraid, but if you read this... Well, that should be no problem. Basically, it consists of fifteen story concepts, including rating, genres and setting (some don't have them confirmed) Depending on what has the most, I'll write... Eh. No idea how it'll work... Just vote. You get three votes!**

 **-For those Melody/Hiccup lovers, and the users who read/are reading the RoS instalments, 'Symphonies and Souls I: Reckless and Selfless?' and 'A Friend in Sea & Fire' the One-Shot, 'Hush Now, Quiet Now' is now completed and posted! Thank you for all your support!**

 **-Aloysius/Hiccup fluff is everywhere! The One-Shot I have hinted at is pinned down for making,and there's going to be another One-Shot on a different topic, that instead has Silus/Hiccup bonding- and there's even a healthy dose of it in this chapter!**

 **FEEL THE FLUFFFF!**

 **-I'm thinking of making up a Forum for TIW AU, but... The site is stupid. Apparently, I can't make another Forum, if its the same 'combination of so and so' which it isn't, so I might have to take my other forum down for it... Wow. I am SO happy about that. 'Smashes computer.'**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 ** _Pietersielie-_ Eh... Heh... Great! 'Looks frantically at a VERY unamused Hiccup' Should I tell him? **

**Hiccup: Meh. Your idea, not mine.**

 **'Walks off casually, looking at his wings weirdly as he chases his tail. Me gushing over him silently, so kawaii.'**

 **Well... You see... It's probably... Just maybe... Gonna have some more cliffies... And confusion... Before the en- 'SMACK'. (Thx for the support and review!)**

 _ **The Shadow Fright Dragon-**_ **Yeah, getting' intense, huh? Well, there you go... I hope you got your whole vocabulary list back, by the way, I feel like you're gonna need it, these chapters coming... And actually, they're gonna need a LOT more than just 'good' luck... 'Evil grin'. Thanks for being amazing, and reviewing, staying with us for this long- it truly means a ton. :D**

 _ **LE3 101**_ **\- Thanks! I probably put most of my dedication and love on TIW, as it is my leading, and currently personal favourite fanfiction- and among you amazing Dragonites (hugs everyone, effectively breaking the fourth wall, as my family scream and panic, calling police and etc) , it is indeed your favourite, I'd say. Thanks again, for the reviews, and being awesome!**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 23: I HAVE A TAIL!**

Hiccup groaned, slowly stirring. He could feel numb, stinging pain throbbing everywhere. Some

hurt in particular- his back, his neck... His arse. (The latter was by far the worst) That aside, he was on a large bed, which would be better suited to fit three people rather than one.

On instinct (one he didn't know he had), he curled up to the pain, his shoulders retracting in, arms wrapping around his torso.

Light peaked through the balcony's- wait, balcony?

He lifted his head grudgingly, pain shooting up his neck. He looked around, and slightly backed against the head board, sitting up a bit.

The Dragon Rider was in a different room than usual, not the one back in the Hall of Dragons.

It was a dark room, the walls a dark blue that faded into midnight black, and the ceiling stunning; it was pitch black, but the roof was littered with silver dots, that shimmered in the light. Just like the night sky, Hiccup could only imagine how soothing it would be to fall asleep under the layer of stars.

The floor was a soft, plush, midnight blue, that he could imagine being very soft. His bed's covers went with the theme of the luxurious room, the covers a dark blue; it had a very intricate, detailed design of a pitch black dragon sewn on, bright, icy blue flames in its mouth. The bed itself felt amazing, and he almost didn't want to get out of it.

Looking over at the walls, there wasn't much on them, except for one opposite his bed, where a black dragon silhouette curled around the black pillar in the far right corner (from his position, it was the right. From birds eye view, it was top right corner), creating a very cool look- he turned his attention to the balcony.

The exit to the balcony had an arch made of the same, shimmery black stone, although he believed the actual platform attached to his room was white and gold. He couldn't see much of it, but he could tell it was huge.

The exit itself was rather big, and had two glass doors that were completely see-through, the knobs a shimmery silver. The exit was mostly covered by pitch black curtains, with a dragon sewn on, a silhouette, the outline a gorgeous silver-blue. The dragon's eye was a vivid green that was almost the exact shade as his own dragon's.

Looking to the left corner (birds eye view, it's the top right), he saw what he believed was meant to be bed. It baffled him, but it was the only thing he could think of.

It used the same black stone (he wondered if it was a precious metal, considering everything else on Asgard he'd seen so far) to create a crown-like railing, an exit at the front. It had no roof, and it had a smooth, flat black platform. Around the raised edges, it had ten silver dots like the room' roof did. Pillows, blankets and cushions were laid out over the base, and Hiccup wondered if suddenly, he was royalty.

By the wall, beside the exit to the balcony, was a large wardrobe, black and purple with silver tracings and knobs, going along with the night-time theme.

To his right, he saw a bedside table, raised so it was slightly higher than his bed's level. There were two empty shelves underneath, and on the top, there was a beautiful lamp (as he had learned from Aloysius- it still intrigued him), its base shaped like a dragon. He also saw a strange rectangular object with numbers on its front, and honestly, he had no clue as to what it was. Also a mystery object, there was a small, rectangular object with little round circles on. There was tiny numbers underneath.

Right. He had business to do. Finished taking in the sights, he cleared his mind.

With a intake of breath, he stood up on his knees, as he didn't want to face plant on the ground, and fall over. As he had suspected, he did wind up falling down. Immediately after, actually, with shock running through his veins.

He was so light. As in, weird and inhumane light-weighted; since when had that happened? How long had he been unconscious? He didn't feel hungry...

It was actually rather terrifying, putting it side by side with his pains. What had happened?

With a snort, he realised he was shirtless. Why? He had no idea.

He could faintly remember having some important conversation with Odin and Toothless... Yes, he could talk to the Night Fury now, couldn't he? Yes... Yes, it was coming back to him now.

Braving and manning up, he decided to try and get up again. His whole body shuddered as he rose steadily, almost rattling. His muscles tensed, cramped, which shot pain through him again.

When they finally stopped, everything seemed to rattle, then collapse, falling asleep, almost.

He flexed his shoulders cautiously, eventually returning circulation to his body. Confident he wouldn't have any more problems, he turned around, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

The rider looked to the bedside table, and frowned, seeing his prosthetic no where in sight. It must already be on. That would explain why his foot hurt, but then again, that could just be what was causing all the other pains in his body. His head throbbed again, as if something had invaded- it was almost like when Toothless had first entered his mind, just stronger. Speaking of Toothless, where was he? He hope d the dragon wasn't hurt.

 _Little One_? Ah. Typical.

Hiccup reached out his own mind, rubbing timidly against the presence with shock; that was Toothless! Since when had his mind become so powerful?

 _Bud_? He asked, as his dragon's mind once again rubbed against his own. _Bud, what's going on_?

The dragon seemed almost amused. _You don't remember_? He questioned. The adolescent shook his head. _Oh yes, this... This is great_!

The dragon sounded giddy, as he laughed in a almost mocking, maniac, evil tone.

 _Yes_! The Night Fury crowed, as he urged his rider to stand up and look in the mirror. Frowning in confusion, Hiccup sighed, and went along with it. As he moved over to where a tall mirror was located in the room, he couldn't help but feel as if he had extra weight on his back, and something was trailing behind him as he walked...

Just as he was about to reach the mirror, he froze. _Te hee_... Toothless giggled in his mind, with-holding hysterical laughter.

 _TOOTHLESS_. Hiccup snarled telepathically, as soon as the last memory of the previous events sank in, and everything made sense. _WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING_. _THIS IS A SERIOUS MATTER_. Boy, if what he thought was a reality, then... (-I CAN'T FIND WORDS TO SAY HERE-)

He slowly stepped in front of the mirror, and his first reaction was...

"...I HAVE A TAIL!"

Hiccup was pretty sure Toothless was crying, from how hard the dragon was laughing.

Oo-oOo-oO

He had the wings and tail of a dragon.

He took a deep breath, and shaking, he slowly spread one wing. It was huge, its length, twice his height. It was pitch black, but with a small, nearly unnoticeable hint of brown at the tips- the membrane had a auburn tint when reflected in the sun.

The connecting muscles moved and flexed smoothly and perfectly to his shocked commands, and with every single movement, it was almost like his chest and torso moved with it. He could see a faint, extra muscle on his torso that wasn't there before, which he guessed was necessary for the wings to actually function.

There was a wing-claw, which was surprisingly flexible; probably to grip onto things. The wings were identical on each side, and turning around, he could see they connected to two powerful 'wing shoulders' packed tight together just under his shoulders. The membrane ran down his back, and there it ended, transferring into something even more shocking, somewhat embarrassing, and VERY weird to look at, just above his rear end.

A tail. It was long (about 5 and a half feet, or just under 2 metres) and black, like Toothless' again, but it didn't have any tailfins. A line of silver, razor sharp spines ran down the tail to the tip, and he blushed when he saw its connecting point.

...No wonder his arse hurt so much.

Oo-oOo-oO

Silence reigned, eventually broken by his dragon, who had turned more serious now.

 _So_... The dragon asked. _Do you like it_?

Hiccup didn't answer, because, well, he honestly didn't know. Sure, it was pretty amazing, but he was scared- if he ever did go back to Berk, as Odin had said, would he be seen as a freak? Chased away? Killed?

 _I wouldn't let them do a single bit of harm to you, Little One_. Toothless said to his fears, gently rubbing against his mind. _And if they did, I'd fly them to the nearest sea stack, leave them there for a million years, and then slowly rip them apart._ Hiccup cracked a small smile at his dragon's exaggeration, and... Techniques. _Let your fears go. I'm here, and I always will be... I promise_.

The young man nodded, wait, no- He was a Humanblaka now! It was shocking, but true. He tapped his dragon's mind, mentally embracing his best friend.

It wasn't the first time they had done this, embracing one another; literally. Hiccup's consciousness and mind, all his emotions and thoughts, merged with Toothless', as they silently said what could never be told by words.

 _Thank you, Bud... Wait, what was that_? Hiccup frowned; he had saw something very, VERY weird in his dragon's thought stream.

 _Nothing... But if you want to find out_... Toothless' voice became happy.

 _Go outside- I'll be waiting_! He cooed to him mentally. Then, with a giddy roar, his mind slipped away from his rider's, leaving with a brief nuzzle.

Hiccup sighed, with a soft smile. Things were starting to get interesting.

Oo-oOo-oO

The Humanblaka walked across the soft floor, looking around. He opened the wardrobe, and found a pair of thongs/sandals. Slipping into them, he figured no one would care for his bare chest.

He pushed aside the silky curtains to the far sides, bunching them with the red ribbons to bind them. He pushed open the glass doors gently, slightly amazed by how strong and stable they were, considering, well, they were made of glass, or at least a similar substance.

Stepping outside, he sucked in a awe-struck breath.

Down below, he saw the vast surface of a glimmering pool, blue and sparkling, as the sunlight rayed down on it. Truly massive, the outdoor place stretched more long than it did wide, and Hiccup guessed it was about the size of a Red Death. Wherever there was ground, it was a greyish white stone he presumed was marble, as it didn't quite match the rest of the white stone.

It had a large, straight section that would be ideal for laps, that at the top (from his balcony, the right) had a shallower pool of water, even some play equipment, most of it he didn't recognise. There were steps, platforms, all sorts. A wooden deck, long chairs that looked like beds. There was the occasional sheet above areas that provided shade.

As it progressed, it created a levelled section that stretched most of the pool- as it reached an area, marked by a line, it got deeper and deeper, a raised, shallow, 2 feet pathway on the side, protected by a rail.

It ended with what appeared to be a waterfall, but he presumed had some hidden rail. Down from there, it appeared to be a drop. He could see a gate to the side, and what might be a staircase, but from his place on the huge, elegant white and gold balcony, he couldn't tell.

The vast pool area was closed in, the wall he was on having two more balconies going to his right, and one to his left. There were four more balconies in a row beneath him, and above him in the same fashion. As it reached the top end of the pool area, the white wall turned direction, going straight across with different balconies and exits (a large row of tall, huge doorway-like arcs,with one huge balcony that went across) to the one he was standing on- it then turned again with the end of the area, creating a wall mirroring the one he was on; however, it ended shorter, cutting off sharply as it reached the mark point on the pool. From there, it turned off right, offering no answers, as he couldn't see anything but open space from there.

His wings instantly tucked to his sides, as he felt himself slightly cower... It was _just_ so... _So_... _Big_...! It truly was astonishing, just how huge everything had been so far in his stay.

Apparently it was for the dragons, and that was another thing- he knew how big Crimseara was, but neither had ever said how big she was compared the other Skulblakas- considering how small she seemed in the halls, was she small in the size chart?

Another thing that bugged him was Toothless- how big was he? Had he changed too? What abou-

"Seriously, you need to close your jaw, dude." A familiar voice brought him back out of his dumbstruck state, and looking up, he grinned like a fool, unable to resist it. Aloysius flew in place in the crisp skies, smiling down on him.

The Humanblaka glided down to the younger, hovering just in front. "It's pretty sweet, isn't it?" Aloysius looked out over the pool. Hiccup nodded, still in genuine shock and amazement.

He landed on the Balcony beside him, folding his arms over his chest. The man was dressed casually (at least, casually for him) in his blood red armour to match his dragon, and he seemed more relaxed than normal. Picking up on the calm aura his caretaker had, he tilted his head in gesture. The man understood immediately. "Had a massage this morning. Gods, the Valkyries are amazing at It... I'll have to take you, sometime."

Aloysius squinted up at the bright sun. "It's quite warm today, to be honest. I would throw myself in the pool, but I've got my little Hiccup to look after."

Hiccup wrinkled his nose, growling low in his throat. He jumped in surprise at the sound, but Aloysius smiled knowingly. He heaved in release- that would take a LOT of getting used to, but probably not as much as getting accustomed to a tail, and huge wings...

He smiled, looking back at them. The Dragon Rider- no, the Shur'tugal, was beginning to love them more and more with every sighting and movement. He could finally, _actually_ fly!

A minute later, he remembered what the Guardian just said. "HEY!" He snapped. Aloysius smirked and laughed. "First Toothless, with his 'Little One' and now you, with 'Little Hiccup'! What is with you two?"

The man simply shook his head. "A lot, I'd reckon. But Toothless gets the nickname- he's been calling you that for 5 years, after all." He said. Hiccup gaped, eyes wide with disbelief, although he was grinning.

"Seriously?" The adolescent's wings fluttered.

He wouldn't admit it any time soon, but he loved the nickname Toothless had called him. It was so affectionate and cute... He would NEVER say that out loud, period.

"Uh huh."

Aloysius spread his wings, deciding he'd rather hover above the balcony surface than stand on solid ground. "He told me so himself, the other day."

Hiccup grinned, shaking, almost indistinctly, and folding his wings. He was starting to get the knack of this life and behaviour, and he loved it. "So, speaking of Toothless, where is he?"

The young man inclined his head. Aloysius bowed his head and closed his eyes respectively.

"He's waiting, out in the WC." The man did a flip in the air calmly. He turned in the air, facing to where the pool seemingly went over a waterfall.

"The..."

"West Courtyard. Sorry 'bout that. Forgot you're not used to all this."

Hiccup nodded, and looked around. Aloysius frowned, and then it dawned on him; Hiccup didn't know how to fly.

"Alois..."

The man flew in front of the balcony. He hovered in place, a few feet from the railing. Hiccup whimpered, cowering and backing towards the exit. "Alois.. I don't want to... I'm... Scared..."

"Hiccup?" The red-winged Humanblaka soared down to him, grabbing his arms gently. "It'll be fine. All you have to do, is take a little running start, flap your wings, and then you can flap over to me... Just like doggy paddling."

"Doggy... Paddling? Seriously, of all the comparisons to make..." Hiccup asked incredulously.

The man simply nodded. "Uh huh. You'd be surprised how many similarities they have, when it comes down to it." He took back into the air, making it look so easy and simple. The way his wings curved the air, flapping so silently, it seemed so intimidating... Now that he had his own wings... It was so strange... "Come on, Hiccup... It'll be okay. I'm right here, and if there's even the slightest hint that you are going to plummet into that giant pool, I'll surge forward and catch you."

Hiccup nodded, and gulped. He took one last look at the solid ground, tapping it with one foot, and swishing his scaly tail over the warmed surface, sparkling and shimmering in the sun.

Gingerly moving backwards to the exit to get the full run up, he watched his feet's movements with wide eyes, his heart racing, and mind pounding. The pain in his body had been long gone, the cool, crisp morning air having soothed his aching muscles. The slightly chilly winds nipped at his bare chest, but it was nothing compared to the feeling of dread in his negative mind; what happened if it went wrong? What if Aloysius didn't catch him? What if-

"Hiccup, stop worrying." Aloysius said softly, as if reading the adolescent's mind. "It's going to be _fine_. Just come to me."

The black-scaled Humanblaka nodded, feeling as if the whole world suddenly rested on his shoulders (oh, Hiccup, you have no idea... Wait. He does. My bad.) as he spread the huge wings on his back, raising his tail off the ground. The latter felt stranger than the wings, to be honest.

 _No point delaying_. He thought to himself bitterly.

He looked up at his caretaker's face, reassuring and encouraging. A surge of confidence rushed into him, pushing away the fear. _I can do this_.

Eyes narrowed, he slightly ducked in his head as he ran forward, in a almost strange galloping way, before his wings started to flap, the wind pounding underneath. He nearly gasped, the feeling overwhelming him, but he found he couldn't stop- or was it that he didn't _want_ to stop?

Either way, he was determined, and he tentatively jumped up, shocked, and scared when he found himself lifted into the air, from his wings and jump, for a long, _entire three seconds_ , before he came back down, the gravity weighing down on him. The feeling was one he had never expected to experience, in his entire life span, but fate has its ways.

Having wings was one thing; using them, was another story on its own. His gliding suit, being, well, a gliding suit, _didn't_ have a flapping motion. Real wings _did_. And they needed them to fly properly.

Slowing down (he was about half way to the rail at the end), he caught his breath; something told him he would need it. His legs slightly burned, but that was probably because he hadn't used them pre-hand this whole drama.

As terrifying this was, it was also exhilarating; the drive, combined with the speed and force... It was almost too much.

Without really knowing what he was doing, he sprang higher than he ever had before.

Screaming, and whimpering loudly, he fought for balance in the sky, as his wings frantically flapped in the cold sky.

Changing his pathetic, frightened noises to squeaks and howls now, he was barely aware that his arms were flailing in panic. He slowly, but surely flapped his way over to Aloysius, who had a adoring smile on his face, a indescribable amusement shining in his eyes.

Hiccup whined, stretching his neck up (he wondered if it was slightly longer- he knew for certain it was now slightly more flexible) and looking at Aloysius.

He squealed, flapping faster and stronger when he felt himself dropping.

The Shur'tugal yelped, fear rushing through his mind and body. Hiccup suddenly felt two strong arms wrap around his waist, slipping under his wings. Leaning into Aloysius, he gasped for breath.

"Whoa... Calm down... That's it... You're safe... You made it..." Aloysius soothed him, eyes shining. He lifted the adolescent's chin. "See? You did it! Now, that wasn't so bad, now, was it?" He shifted positions a bit, still holding the shaking rider in his arms, still catching his breath. Hiccup stared at the pool beneath him, as if in disbelief he was actually in the air, and had literally flown to him.

Hiccup nodded slowly, leaning his head into the man's torso. "...That was...terrifying... and amazing... but really, _really_ scary, too..." He looked up at his caretaker. "Go again?"

Aloysius laughed, stroking the back of his head. "Sorry kid, but your dragon's waiting. Never anger a dragon." Hiccup suddenly yelped, remembering why he had even flown in the first place. "Oops?" The Guardian asked playfully. Hiccup sighed.

"Oops indeed."

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N:**

 **Oh wow, is it just me, or are these chapters getting out-of-hand levels of words? You know, at this rate, I'll have to go back and re-write the first couple, just so they don't look so terrible and short!**

 **I was actually intending to have Toothless' reveal, and new character design in this chapter, but I decided having it completely focused on Hiccup, Aloysius, and more importantly, his new wings, would be better. Toothless will be next, as well as two other things, one being Silus and Aurora's future! Now for my no-update reason. Oooh boy. This again.**

 **I'm so glad you guys are so patient. I know I haven't updated in a while, and well, I have my reasons this time.**

 **School just got back in, and to be honest, I'm going through a semi-minor depression, I'm-getting-two-hours-of-sleep phase... Which Ironically is more of a life style, considering I've been like that for about a year and a half now. :/**

 **Also, a internet friend of mine on here is having a LOT of issues... She had a threat from the authorities for absolutely NO reason (the actual reason Is a load of shit) and well, she tried putting stories back up, and BAM, nasty bastards, AKA guests (BAD guests, not you wonderful folks), report her for spam... It's a lot to take in. 'Sigh and collapses in a mound of feels' (Mind my language, I'm just so upset about it)**

 **But I think I'll be fine. I'm quite good at recovering from 'traumatising' events, so... I don't know. I guess... Just don't be surprised if updates come slow. Hopefully, things will lighten up soon, and then we can get right back on track.**

 **So, for now, NO promises. I can't guarantee update time, story progress, any of it. Also, for anyone reading 'Can You Feel the Love Tonight', I am hoping to get that fic fired up and booming sooner than later.**

 **So, last thing, thank you lot SO much for everything; all the support, reviews, your amazing patience, all of it. Thank you so much. ;')**

 **PS- Poll is up! If you like my work, be sure to check it out, as the winner gets to be my next story! ;D**

 **I love you all, and thanks for everything... Well, except that one hater I had... Did you guys bring your pitchforks...? I want him/her (probably a dude, it usually is) dead.**

 **Just kidding.**

 **Don't call the police.**

 **Put down your freaking phone.**

 **I'm not a psychopath wanting to take over the world.**

 **-Crystallion12.**


	25. Chapter 24- Shur'tugal And Skulblaka

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **SUMMARY –** **They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **NOTICES (First one is about new Poll):**

 **-There is a new Poll on my Profile Page, and it'll mean a LOT to me if you vote. There is quite a bit there, I'm afraid, but if you read this... Well, that should be no problem. Basically, it consists of fifteen story concepts, including rating, genres and setting (some don't have them confirmed) Depending on what has the most, I'll write... Eh. No idea how it'll work... Just vote. You get three votes!**

 **-Aloysius/Hiccup fluff is everywhere! The One-Shot I have hinted at is pinned down for making,and there's going to be another One-Shot on a different topic, that instead has Silus/Hiccup bonding- and there's even a healthy dose of it in this chapter!**

 **FEEL THE FLUFFFF!**

 **-I'm thinking of making up a Forum for TIW AU, but... The site is stupid. Apparently, I can't make another Forum, if its the same 'combination of so and so' which it isn't, so I might have to take my other forum down for it... Wow. I am SO happy about that. 'Smashes computer.'**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 ** _Pietersielie_ \- Lol, yup. No one is on your side. Sorry pal. Well, I hope this chapter answers your questions! Thx for all the support and reviews! :D**

 ** _RUBYJEMS_ \- I'm sure you can still hunt him down... Ah, there he is! Hold on. I need my sword... XD Thanks for the review, it's nice to see another fabulous review from you! **

**_The Shadow Fright Dragon_ \- XD XD XD XD XD XD... 'Ten minutes later' Ok, I'm done with the XDs. Yeah, sorry 'bout the three options. It's a good thing I did allow multi-selection- I dread what would have happened if I did not. I think I might bring the selection number up to five, but if I do, it will be if it doesn't do too well as a Poll. Yup. He just flew, and for real. Well... Sorta. Wasn't really flying. BUT, get used to it- he's gonna do it, and need it, a LOT in the future. Thx for the review!**

 **Wow... Have we seriously reached 5o reviews! Guys, that's mind-blowing! Amazing! Thank you so much, I wouldn't be here without you amazing folk. ;D**

 **DRAGONITES UNITE!**

 **As always, thanks to every one of you- I love you all, and all your support and dedication is amazing!**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 24: Shur'tugal and Skulblaka**

 _Toothless_? Hiccup asked telepathically, reaching out with his mind. _Where are you, Bud_?

The young Humanblaka looked around, seeing nothing that resembled a Night Fury.

The sun had risen much higher in the bright blue skies, and the temperature had now risen slightly, nice and warm. It was slightly colder than a hot summer day on Berk, which made this temperature lovely in comparison.

He stood in the West Courtyard, and when Crimseara had flown him over, he hadn't been able to take it all in at first.

Hiccup hadn't seen too much, but from what he _had_ seen, this place was downright HUGE.

It had only taken about a minute to get there. After dropping him off, she had gone off somewhere, and Hiccup had been left there to meet up with his dragon, who apparently had yet to actually arrive.

The West Courtyard, otherwise referenced to as 'WC', wasn't far at all from the Pool Area and the building he had been in.

It was an enormous open space in front of Backyard 1- Backyard One, otherwise known as 'BKY1' was a grassy, plain field, that dropped off from the Infinity Pool's edge, (where the pool ended, it had a hidden wall, so the water ran over it and fell into a water container and recycled- it was really awesome, in his opinion) and was apparently for games, random running around, and pretty much any outdoor activity.

But back on the subject of the Courtyard, it had a similar layout, but a lot more beautiful- the grass was shorter and more maintained (both were, though), and stunning, white paths were around the area, and from Birds-Eye view, it was a four pointed star. In the centre, a golden and silver dragon statue was perched on a pedestal, in the middle of the fountain.

All around the area, that looked big enough to fit two Bewilderbeasts in comfort, he could see on his left (he was facing south) the distant shape of a large white building, (on Birds-Eye perspective, it is far south-east of the Gate, which is at the front. It is the corner building) and to his right, (on Bird's-Eye, it is South-East, just shy of the mid-line) he could see another field, but he couldn't see too much of that.

Behind him, there was a huge door, that led to a huge building double the width of the building he had woken in, and he wondered if it had the same rooms... He guessed it was the building opposite his own, with the same balconies. So yeah, they were most likely the same.

In front of him, there was a huge wall, that while lower than the 'sleeping' buildings, was God-damned levels of tall. It curbed neatly down to a mid-section, where a elegant, white barred gate was, intricately designed to look like each gate-door was a two-dimensional dragon. He smiled at that, simply amazed at the fine craftsmanship and beauty of it all.

 _Wow. Is the scenery THAT nice_? A voice snapped him out of his observant trance, and Hiccup jumped. He then relaxed, recognising the presence and voice.

Just before he found an argument, the dragon laughed, making it clear he was joking.

 _It IS gorgeous though, I won't lie_. Toothless mused, his voice some-what deeper, and rumblier than before.

Hiccup simply nodded, his tail swishing behind him. Agreed.

The Shur'tugal looked up at the cloudy sky, searching for those dark wings. He had suspected the dragon would come by air, on his automatic prosthetic tail-fin... _Bud, where are you? Are you running here, or flying_...? The dragon merely snorted.

 _Ha. I'm flying... And I'm not using that old tail-fin. I'm goin' free style_.

 _What_?

Toothless chortled. _You'll see in a second. Wanna know what I'm about to do_?

Hiccup chuckled. _Yes_?

 _Well, I'll sum it up for you, it two easy words here_...

The adolescent froze, as a huge, different yet oh so familiar, ear-splitting roar filled the sky, and a glittering black figure flew from out the clouds. It dived towards him, as Toothless' voice shrieked in his mind; _AERIAL ASSAULT_!

And with one more huge roar, and a heavy _thud_ , Toothless landed in front of his widened eyes.

Oo-oOo-oO

"TOOTHLESS?!" Hiccup didn't even say it in his mind, he was in that much shock.

The dragon before him- no- Toothless, in front of him, was huge.

He made a Monstrous Nightmare look average, and Hiccup estimated his dragon was now around the size of a Screaming Death, with the wings of a Typhoomerang (no joke, they were about two times as long as Toothless was from snout to tail tip) , or a Fireworm Queen, and honestly, Hiccup wasn't sure what to say.

Toothless still had his pitch black scales, but they had changed up a bit, now much sparkly and shiny- they glittered in the sun, like little black jewels. The ones down the back of his neck, on his cheeks and in the tiny scales below his eyes, were sharper and longer, overlapping each other, almost in a messy fashion, out of order. Down his back, they were smaller and thicker, and not as shiny, like his old scales.

The dragon's eyes were just like Hiccup remembered them, although they were brighter and shinier too. They looked down on him with wide pupils, loving and affectionate.

His head was as big as a average adult human now, and what had changed the most of anything, was Toothless' actual structure. In a way, he saw a lot of similarities between him and Crimseara, but they did have their uniqueness.

Toothless' snout was now longer and had a bridge, a small horn on his snout tip, between his nostrils. His eyes were still wide-set, if a little more pushed to the sides than before. A set of small, silver spines ran down his forehead, and he still kept his ear appendages- however, in place of normal large ears, he now had two sharp, ivory horns that carved slightly upward, ending in a sharp point.

It was so _strange,_ and he wasn't all too sure he was fond of it, as it had always shown the Night Fury's emotions so well. But his other plates seemed to be longer, and much more flexible now, doing the same thing. Besides, they _did_ now have telepathic connection, so he could let it slide.

The spines continued down his much longer, thick neck, that connected to his powerful torso, sleek and strong. His legs were longer and much more powerful, lean muscle outlining his broader shoulders. His underbelly sloped up in a lean fashion, his hind legs strong and quite different to look at. His paws had changed, too, no longer just a stump thing with claws. He now had four 'toes' that ended with sharp, white-silver claws; he had 'thumbs' so to speak, and the hind feet were the same, but had less flexibility in them, and there was only four toes and claws.

His wings stayed the same, huge and bat like, and very, VERY big. Toothless had dangerous, sharp spikes that ran all down his neck, (they actually stopped at his shoulders, where he presumed a saddle might go) spine, and tail. The spines were, as previously mentioned, silvery white, shiny and new-looking.

Another strange thing he saw was the lack of gliders; Toothless had apparently lost the gliding aids during his transformation. His tail was long and scaly, not surprisingly, and ended with two black tail-fins, which weren't as big in comparison to the body as before, but still quite larg-

Wait, what? Two tail fins...?

He quickly looked down, and he felt like an idiot. How had he NOT noticed the fact he had two feet again?!

 _Isn't it great_? Toothless asked excitedly. _No more phantom pains, no longer do we have to suffer! We're whole again_! The Night Fury (well, at least Hiccup thought he was still a Night Fury, just... Evolved?) pushed his large head into Hiccup's chest, taking the man by surprise and pushing him back slightly. Hiccup laughed.

 _Yeah... Wow, I never imagined... It's finally over_! Hiccup said in awe, flexing his foot. It felt so bizarre and out of place, having been an amputee for so long.

All the memories of pain, the ACTUAL pain, the Phantom pains- suddenly, he realised something he had never considered for 5 years.

 _Oh gods, you had them too? You had Phantom Pains_?

Toothless nodded, brushing it off. Never really bothered me, though. I've dealt with worse, I'm a dragon...

He met his rider's gaze. _And now, I'm a Skulblaka_.

Oo-oOo-oO

Hiccup and Toothless stepped through the golden entrance, striding forward, slowly and observant, heads high and proud as they looked from side to side.

Shur'tugal sat on Skulblaka's back, wings folded neatly and cape down by his sides, as they walked down the aisle. Dressed in black and gold armour that felt weird yet comfortable, it was more so the actual scene that had him nervous.

Hundreds, thousands of Asgardians, Gods, Dragons, and Animals sat in the rows and rows of seats, cheering and whooping, clapping and watching the newest magical duo in all their glory, as they walked down the path laid out for them. Hiccup waved and smiled to the crowds, hiding his nervousness well, as Toothless would give an affectionate snort to dragons and children, all the while looking proud and pleased with himself. The dragon was undoubtedly having a wonderful time, shining bright in the spotlight that had been shined upon him and his rider.

 _Oh, don't be so shy. You've seen them before, it's not like your taking a bath in front of a army of Berserkers_. The black Night Fury said casually, not really grasping the meaning of what he just said, but rather the message.

Hiccup immediately blushed bright red, scolding the dragon for the next twenty seconds or so. Mid-way, he and his Night Fury was showered by rose petals, brought by someone in the crowd.

Shaking his head fondly at his rider's antics, he turned his attention back to the crowds. He roared in greeting to Aurora, sat in the front row with Silus sat in a chair beside her. Toothless looked on ahead while his rider waved and smiled some more, and he grunted in surprise upon sighting a certain red-winged Humanblaka. He had known Aloysius and Crimseara would be joining them, but not five other riders and their Skulblakas.

He recognised the duo furthest to the golden, dragon-shaped-base altar in the centre of the raised dais, seated in a separate area, where there were the colour-coded (by dragon) seats, behind them their bonded soul-mates.

It was that man, named John, who rode the minty green dragoness, named Mintydreams, if he remembered correctly, and they had seemed quite nice and pleasant.

To their right, was that golden dragon and its rider who saved Hiccup's life; Garitirus and Valerie. The massive gold dragon was actually the largest of the group, Mintydreams being just smaller.

Beside them, he could see a new pair that he hadn't seen before, and they looked quite the silent but deadly type. The man was simply watching quietly, his dragon doing the same- his dragon was a large male, a blood red Skulblaka, darker than Crimseara, yet he was bigger by not much.

Next to them, was that girl called Giselle, her large male dragon behind her as they talked. Toothless believed the green dragon's name was Kazenor, which turned out to be quite a mouthful to speak.

He saw that pink dragon, called Candi, with her rider Akura, and honestly, they looked quite small. Beside them were two he was also not familiar with, another girl with a sea blue dragoness.

Peaking over his shoulder, he quickly checked up on his rider; Hiccup was holding his own. Good.

Turning attention back to the special guests, he could see that sable black and dark purple, male dragon, who was curled up around his rider's chair, where a dark-haired man was seated, politely looking around and talking to the blue dragoness next to his own.

Toothless suddenly found himself locked eyes with the dark grey dragon, who tilted his head in a gesture of awareness.

Toothless slightly dipped his head in respect; this dragon was a well-known fighter...

How had he known that...?

Oo-oOo-oO

"Shur'tugal Hiccup, Rider of Toothless, and son of Stoick and Valka Haddock," Odin's voice echoed through the silent room. Hiccup and Toothless stood before him, still and noble. "Do you swear that no matter the cost, and the consequences, you will defend your fellow Shur'tugalar and Skulblakas?"

Hiccup dipped his head slightly. "I do." He said, clear and just loud enough so all could hear him.

The ceremony felt like it went on for a life-time.

Odin spoke, Hiccup and Toothless responded; Aloysius announced his confirmation, and the crowd went wild. Toothless hummed, watching the huge mass of people and animals sound their delight, dragons roaring in pleasure, stomping their feet as the Asgardians applauded and cheered.

They turned around, and Hiccup nearly jumped in surprise; the honourably, welcoming matching necklaces they had been given in the ceremony warmed up slightly, and the emerald in the centre of each glowed brightly. The accessory was a elegant chain, and a dragon pendant shaped out of green jewel. Together, they sparkled in the light, and the motion seemed to only raise the volume another notch and bring even more delight to the audience.

Hiccup caught Aloysius' gaze behind him, and the man winked. He smiled in response, and listened intently as an announcer told everyone what would happen next.

A half hour later, and the party was well under-way; Hiccup had just returned with Toothless from his toilet break (the first thing he had told his rider after it was over) and when they entered, the crowds at the tables and bars all cheered again. Nervously smiling and waving to them, the pair walked over to where Silus and Aurora stood, playing with two children.

"Hey!" He shouted over the crowd, and Silus smiled. Aurora stood up, escorting the children back to their parents, somewhere in the fray of individuals.

Silus laughed, looking at the madness they stood in. "Pretty crazy, right?"

Hiccup laughed, folding his arms and leaning against the wall. His newly replaced foot still burned from the shock, as Aloysius had said it would, and Toothless had agreed; just the body trying to understand the changes. They didn't bother him too much, as he had wrangled worse in the past.

"Yeah." He allowed himself to slump down a bit.

"Not as crazy as all _this_ , though." He moved his left leg forward, and spread one black wing, also swishing his long tail around his feet. Silus' eyes narrowed curiously.

The teen nodded, then looked down at his feet. "Silus?" Hiccup asked. "What's wrong?"

"It's just..." He sighed heavily. "We can't go back to Berk." Hiccup opened his mouth to respond, but Silus stopped him. "And you know it. If they... You're _supposed_ to be dead. I _should_ be dead." Silus' gaze hardened. "If I was in major levels of shock when I saw you, imagine your poor father's reaction! Your mother! Astrid, your friends...!"

Hiccup looked down remorsefully, and spoke quietly. "I know... I have to give it time." He looked back up. "What about you...? You said 'we'. Couldn't the gods just erase the memory?"

"They could, probably." Silus agreed bluntly. "But you'll still remember."

Humanblaka and rider met gazes, and a million emotions swept through within a few short seconds. Grief, fear, shame, guilt, knowing, all of it. "So..." Hiccup started, his voice thick. "What now?"

"I don't know... I think it's up to the gods, to be honest."

Hiccup nodded. "Agreed..." He looked beside him, where the now returned Aurora was talking to Toothless. "So. How about we join this glorious madness?"

Silus smirked, but Aurora only cringed.

 _This isn't going to end well_... She thought, and Toothless snorted. Just wait until he got his claws on a barrel.

All that mead was GOING _DOWN_ tonight!

Oo-oOo-oO

"Wow... Well, this... didn't end well." Hiccup said blankly.

In front of him, Silus was passed out on the table, grinning despite himself and still holding the almost completely drained tankard.

By the table, was a even more hilarious image; Toothless, unconscious and his snout half stuck in a barrel. Three other large barrels surrounded him, all completely empty. The kids long gone to bed, some adults were chatting and drinking while sat on his tail, that was now a bench, apparently.

Aurora stood beside Hiccup, looking at the two drunk boys.

Her icy blue eyes shone with amusement, and the Night Fury chortled. She jumped up on her hind legs, putting her front paws on the table. She weaved her head under Hiccup's arm, which was a bit stiff at the feeling. Her head, while slightly smaller than Toothless' when they had first met, was so familiar. Not that he liked her over his dragon, by the stars, he'd never think that, but he guessed it was just that oddness that still had him unsettled.

Looking into her eyes for a moment, he shifted position as she retracted, looking down on her own rider, blinking.

A moment later, she started laughing. Silus was drooling now, and Hiccup snorted good-naturedly and chuckled.

Nothing like a good party to lead you to your first drink.

"Hey, I'm going to go lead those people sat on Toothless' tail away. Don't want the big guy to wake up and freak out." Hiccup stood, just as Aurora shrieked.

Whipping his head around at the sudden noise, he looked for signs pf danger, but instead found some more mature hilarity. Apparently, parties didn't just get humans hooking up, but dragons too- or, well, at least some _attempts_ at it.

Clearly drawn in by the perfect image of Aurora and her rear end that had been so conveniently sticking up to their table, four drunk dragons had sauntered over. One, who looked like a Monstrous Nightmare but with more muscled and defined features, a thicker and shorter neck, and had yellow-gold scales, had decided to stick his head under her tail, sniffing.

Aurora yelped indignantly, jumping away, smacking her paw across the baffled dragon in the snout. Oblivious, the dragon simply purred, grinning like a fool.

Disgusted, Aurora moved away, and was encountered with even more male dragons interested in her. Roaring in their faces, she looked more pissed than Hiccup had ever seen her before... Now, he _would_ help her, but you see, in these types of... Situations, well, you simply just didn't interfere. Especially if you were him. Better to leave dragons to do their own business.

It took Hiccup a few minutes to move the drunken, slurred-talking Asgardians, (they could have been Vikings, because apparently that made up a fifth of the crowd) since they could barely hear him.

As the four men finally grasped what he was saying, they nodded, laughed a bit, and ran off, giggling and burping all the while. Hiccup sighed, rolling his eyes and smiling faintly, as he sat down by Toothless' shoulder. His dragon wouldn't hurt him. The Shur'tugal (of which was now official) flexed one wing, intrigued by the way it moved.

"What you up to?" Aloysius approached, looking a bit ruffled up, and sounding a bit off, but overall not drunk.

Hiccup had drunken a mug and a bit after both Toothless and Silus insisted, but he was never really one to get wasted and utterly destroyed. "Eh, just sitting down. I don't think I'll stay around too long, just until this hunk of scales wakes up, or... I wake him up." They both chuckled. "It's kinda funny," Hiccup explained, "He and Silus were on a contest... But I think Toothless won."

"Yeah," Aloysius snorted, patting Toothless' side as he sat beside the younger man. "You know, just a little bit."

The adolescent sighed, and re-positioned himself, just as Aloysius perked up, his wings twitching, eyes narrowed in concentration. Silent, Hiccup watched him stay still for a moment, before he relaxed again, and out the thick masses of the crowd, a familiar Shur'tugal stepped through.

"Valerie!" Aloysius called out, waving as she walked over. Her golden wings fluttered.

She nodded to Hiccup in respect, her brown eyes reflecting with a golden sheen. The tips of her long, straight black hair were brown-gold. "What's up?" She asked, her voice soft and feminine, that had a deadly vibe to it. Her skin had a nice, moderate tan, and Hiccup wondered where her origins and home lay.

Aloysius smiled. "Just wanted to properly introduce you two- after all, Valerie did save your life, Hiccup."

Hiccup blinked, fazed for a moment. He turned his attention to Valerie, who looked at him fondly. "Oh... Uh... Thanks... I'm sorry, I'm just... It's all so much to... You know, take in." He shifted awkwardly, and Toothless groaned. Hiccup laughed, the now awakened dragon just listening to the conversation in contrast to taking part.

"That's okay." She said coolly. "It's all understandable- I remember how nervous _I_ was back In the day... Ah, were we ever that young, Alois?"

Aloysius chuckled, his expression almost longing. "Aye... It seems like a lifetime ago, doesn't it?" The man nudged Hiccup with his tail. "So."

He gestured to Valerie, Garitirus emerging from behind as people parted for the huge dragon. He growled, the sound throbbing and echoing as it vibrated. Golden scales glittering and sparkling, he lowered his head down to make his snout push into his rider's hand, icy blue eyes locking onto Hiccup, gentle and bright. He snorted a gentle puff of mildly hot air onto him, ruffling the boy's hair, and his pupils widened.

"Those two are Valerie and Garitirus." He said simply. Hiccup nodded.

Aloysius stood up, Hiccup copying shortly after. Aloysius gestured for him to follow, so Hiccup gave Toothless a brief scratch under his scaly chin, before running over to his caretaker. They weaved through the crowd, losing each other twice, before Aloysius led them up a staircase to a large room overlooking the area below. The floor was a dark plush, the walls black, and the wall that enclosed them in and showed them the place beneath was a big plate of glass.

Hiccup growled in amazement, slightly unnerved by the dragonesque noise he made; the vibrations in his throat as it sounded gave him scared shivers down his spine.

Aloysius walked up to the glass wall, beckoning the rider over. Hiccup bounded over, and cooed in question. The red-winged rider gestured towards the space below.

"That's Mintydreams, John's bonded dragon- down there is Thorn, and Ryvor is somewhere... Oh! And the man over there who's drinking like it's the end of the world is Skillet. His dragon is that grey-purple one, down at the back with Crimseara and Garitirus; his name is Darkarai. And over there, we have Giselle, and her dragon Kazenor."

Hiccup nodded in understanding, as Aloysius pointed to each. "Hey, Alois... Who are they?"

"Hmm?"

The adolescent scratched his neck casually. "As in, who are they to YOU? Are they friends? Family?"

"Oh, that's easy." Aloysius said, straight-up.

"They're my everything, basically- yes, they're friends, but they're more like family." He paused, his eyes shining fondly. "You see, Hiccup," He carried on, "They are practically around me and Crimsy all the time; they're my Team Mates, Training Squadron, Patrol Group, Home Group... The only thing we're _not_ together in is one of our Core Training Secondary Groups, because me and Giselle chose Schooling, and well, John went down Healing."

Hiccup nodded, although not knowing what most of that meant. He looked down on the glass, resting his hands lightly on the wall. He laughed, sighting Toothless looking around for him, no doubt.

 _He's so oblivious_... The man thought to himself, immensely amused by his dragon's drunken antics.

The unique parts of his dragon, whether they be good or bad, had him loving his dragon even more.

And In that moment, he knew these were the things he wouldn't admit to- the fact that...

 _I like that_.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N:**

 **Yep, these chapters are getting longer. It's official. This one is over 4500 words. This is awesome. Can I say it any other way?**

 **Well, don't really have anything else to say here, but I do have a new fanfiction idea; and its based off the purr-fect movie by Dreamworks, 'Puss in Boots' (just watched it on Netflix), so expect something like that- also, lil' announcement for TIW, later on, I intend to deliver Hiccstrid and more Hiccstrid to your archives. ;D**

 **REMINDER/NOTE: If you haven't already, please visit my Profile Page and vote on my new poll! It will determine the next fanfiction (on 'schedule' and not because I WANT to write it) I write! Thanks for all the support!**

 **LOVE YOU ALL! IT'S THE WEEKEND!**

 **-Crystallion12.**


	26. Part 1 Finale- Leaving For Destiny- C25

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **SUMMARY –** **They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **NOTICES:**

 **(First one is about Poll, Third one about upcoming One-Shots)**

 **-There is a new Poll on my Profile Page, and it'll mean a LOT to me if you vote. There is quite a bit there, I'm afraid, but if you read this... Well, that should be no problem. Basically, it consists of fifteen story concepts, including rating, genres and setting (some don't have them confirmed) Depending on what has the most, I'll write... Eh. No idea how it'll work... Just vote. You get three votes!**

 **-We have a lot of TIW One-Shots coming, so I'm going to go ahead and list their titles down. 'Morning Star' , 'Evening Star' , 'The Brother I Never Had' (Two-Shot) , 'Shadows' , 'Torn Away' , 'TBN' (to be named) and finally, 'I Thought I Lost You'. Each one is pretty much all Hurt/Comfort and Angst, and Hiccup/Silus or Hiccup/Toothless bonding, the second last one being the one with the injured Hiccup and the fatherly Aloysius, directly after Hiccup was brought back to Asgard, following the events of Chapter 19 and 20.**

 **-I am now a Beta-Reader! If you are interested at all, PM me, and I hope I can sort something out for you. ;)**

 **-Should you have a request for me to write, I will do it. Thought I should just address that- if it is something to do with TIW or RoS AU, it is more likely to be done quicker- also, stay within reason, because I don't do M rated stuff, PERIOD, unless that rating is for violence. **

**o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 ** _RUBYJEMS_ \- Yup, you do that... There's my sword... Annndddddd BAM! He's dead! YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS- 'A few... Millennia later' Ah ha! DEAD! Now, uh, where was I again? Oh, right. Thanks for the review**

 ** _aslan333_ \- Thanks! Yours, and everyone else's review means a lot to me, honest. :D**

 **As always, thanks to every one of you- I love you all, and all your support and dedication is amazing!**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **This Is War**

 **Part One - A New Beginning**

 **Part One Finale**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 25: Leaving For Destiny [Part One Finale]**

 _I still don't see why they didn't put the Training Colony in the city_... Toothless grumbled from his place on the bed. _It would have been easier_.

Hiccup snorted, folding a tunic. _Oh, stop being a sissy, you're a BIG, IMPORTANT Skulblaka now, with a HUGE destiny of great battles and heroism! You can't complain about a little flying_! He put the clothing in his saddlebag.

 _Besides, I thought you loved flying long distances! Unless, of course, you sent me on all those 74 hour to and back flights just to annoy me_.

That trumped the dragon. Hoping to keep some dignity, Toothless merely growled in annoyance, rolling over and swishing his tail across his snout, spreading the tail fins. Hiccup sighed, finally finished packing.

Both Skulblaka and Shur'tugal would be away for a long time, about 3 months, before they came back to Draconis Anscesora, the City of Angels and Dragons, located on the other side of Asgard, so they wouldn't be back any until then. Apparently, that might become 4 months, but Aloysius' knowledge on his training was rather fuzzy.

He loved the city, and wanted to see more of the place, but that would be for another time. The hybrid of dragon and human didn't really mind, as this 'Training Colony' didn't sound all too bad, either... Except for the 'training' part.

Only recently, he had transformed into a Humanblaka, becoming a Shur'tugal, magically bonded to his Skulblaka, originally a Night Fury, Toothless. The coronation had been three days ago, and tomorrow they would leave for the Colony, by some means of transportation. His room, which he would have for the next ten years, (they had a Sleeping Quarters Rotation Day, where they chose where their quarters would be for the next decade) was lit dimly by the Dragon Lamp on his bedside table, illuminating the room in a warm orange glow; even though he could have blue, red, or any other colour of light... He liked the more natural one, it didn't unsettle him as much.

Stretching his arms, he walked across the room, pushing aside the curtains and sliding open the doors.

Night had fallen a few hours ago, the dinner on Asgard long passed.

It was probably midnight by now... He'd check the clock when he went back inside; (the 'clock' was the strange square thing with glowing numbers on it that showed the exact time) but he needed some fresh air.

The sky was full of stars tonight, shining brightly. Down below, the night-time pool lights were on, set to a light blue.

He smiled fondly, remembering how he had fallen in the other day, and he and Toothless had a blast playing in the water together, which ended up lasting four hours- they had been forced to go inside when Aloysius told them that the sun would soon set, and he didn't like them on their own at that time. He laughed. Aloysius could be even more over-protective than his father sometimes! And that said a lot.

The night air, while some what chilly, (it was middle of autumn) was comforting, and reminded him more of Berk than anything else in the city did- actually, nothing about the city was like Berk. Here, things were a lot nicer, he couldn't deny that. And the beds were practically heavens within themselves.

Sighing, Hiccup walked forward, resting his arms on the rail as he leaned against it. Putting his face in his arms, he looked out over the body of water.

A few of the curtains across from him were faintly lit within, signifying someone was in. He spotted five, in the end. He had yet to meet a lot of the citizens in the city, as three quarters of the entire population were away at the moment. Where, Aloysius refused to tell him, but he got the idea. They would be away for a while.

 _Getting some fresh air_? Toothless asked, and Hiccup turned his head. The dragon walked through the massive doors, not needing to duck like the bigger dragons had to.

Hiccup sucked in a breath of cold air, the breeze hitting them pleasantly. _Yeah_. He said quietly, closing his eyes and arching his neck back. _It's kinda nice... Reminds me of home_. The dragon came up beside him, slipping his head under his arm. _Do... Bud, do you sometimes miss... You know... Berk... Too_?

 _Oh Little One... I do. Maybe not as much as you, I didn't live there my entire life, but yes... Yes, it was my first real home_.

Hiccup looked to the sky. _Do they expect us to just... Forget Berk_?

The Skulblaka blinked for a minute, unsure how to respond. _No_... He finally murmured. _I don't think they do... They just want us to set it aside for a bit. I don't know... I guess I just find it a bit... Malicious, for Gods and Angels._

The dragon followed his motion, also looking at the star cover. _And I know dragons wouldn't even think of such a cruel method._.. Hiccup's mind wavered in uncertainty.

 _Are you sure_? He asked. His wrinkled his nose at some bad memories. _What about Queen Scarlet_?

Toothless dipped his head in understanding.

 _I guess what I meant to say was that... Well... Only a evil soul would think it, and the gods and Shur'tugalar we know are DEFINATELY not evil, so._..

 _Oh_. He looked down. _I guess I didn't think of it like that_.

Oo-oOo-oO

Hiccup took a deep breath, sat on Toothless' back and in the air on his own dragon, for the first time since their transformation.

The dragon cooed to him, looking at him and meeting his gaze.

"Well, Bud, this is it... You ready?" He spoke aloud, getting used to actually speaking in Norse. He had lately only spoken to Toothless telepathically. Toothless nodded, turning his neck back to the front.

They went through the already open gates, (as there was a magical barrier surrounding the whole place, to prevent attacks, strangers, etc.) and Toothless dived down, flying low. Hiccup watched as the Centaurs (the half man, half horse creatures that guarded the entrance to the Rider's Hall) opened the doors, and they walked inside. As they passed by the two, he thanked them, and they bowed in response before closing the doors behind them.

Hiccup inwardly drew in a breath. So much had happened within just a few short months, he could barely believe he was still standing.

Passing by the golden dragon statues brought a wave of nostalgia, and Hiccup grinned.

His new life was only just beginning, and yet, it was looking up so high.

Oo-oOo-oO

"Got everything?" Aloysius asked, strapping his sword to his belt. Beside him, Crimseara hummed, talking with Toothless, who was finally around her size, yet the dragoness still stood superior.

Hiccup nodded, turning around to see that Silus was approaching on Aurora. He waved and called their names, Toothless roaring in greeting- Aloysius nodded in understanding, going silent as he locked in conversation with his own dragon, leaning against her powerful fore-leg.

Aurora landed, warbling. Silus slid off her back, patting her head. "Hey," He said, almost awkwardly. "Just came to say goodbye."

"I know. Thanks." Hiccup smiled gratefully, laughing when Toothless nudged him from behind. "He thanks you too." The dragons, both Night Furies deep down, nuzzled one another, growling things to one another that their soul-mates couldn't understand yet.

"So... How long...?" Silus asked.

Hiccup shrugged. "Three months, according to Valerie... We don't really know yet, is what I'm trying to say." He paused. "And you? What are you doing...?"

"Me and Aurora?"

The Humanblaka snorted. "Na, why would you think that? No, I was talking about Bob and Steve."

Silus rolled his eyes, although he couldn't suppress a chuckle at his friend's sarcastic response- he'd been well known for those on Berk, apparently. He thought it was good the man was getting his old nature and habits back.

"Yeah, well, we talked to Odin about it, and... Well, basically, we're almost there."

Toothless growled, as if questioning his words.

Aurora purred, slipping her head under her rider's arm lovingly. She cooed happily. "Where you are- As in, we'll be going to the Training Colony in a short while." He explained, smiling faintly. "Once our bond is strong enough, we'll become Shur'tugal and Skulblaka, and, I guess you'll know the rest before us."

Hiccup was some what speechless. "W- Wow! That's great!" He gave Aurora a scratch under her scaly chin. "I guess we won't be that alone after all, huh Bud?"

Toothless roared in delight and triumph, arching his long neck towards the sky.

The black-winged man smirked. "Oh, and do get taller, so I don't have to tower over you." Silus huffed in playful annoyance.

He offered his hand out. "See you there?"

Silus grasped his arm with a determined look. "We'll see you there."

Without warning, Hiccup hugged him, earning a surprised yelp in response before a embrace in turn. The dragons laughed good-naturedly, as Aurora and Toothless rubbed heads.

Breaking apart, they shared one last look, before Hiccup turned away, moving over to Toothless, jumping on his back (with some effort and hilarious fails).

They ran forward, next to Crimseara.

"Ready to go?" Aloysius asked, and Hiccup nodded eagerly, ready to explore a whole new world.

Toothless jiggled around a bit in excitement, and Crimseara rolled her eyes. She told Toothless something, and the dragon cooed with a smirk.

Hiccup frowned, looking to Aloysius who knew Dragonese- the man looked somewhat dreading with amusement.

"Uh..."

"Cover your ears."

And he did, just as the Skulblakas raised their massive heads to the sky, roaring _very_ loudly as they took off.

 **o-o-o**

 **Part One**

 **A New Beginning**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N (I recommend you read this, it's important) :**

 **Whoo hoo! Part One of 'This Is War' is complete! Now, well... You kinda get to wait, as TIW is now on a little hiatus, just like you get for the TV show.**

 **Reasoning?**

 **So other stories can shine for a bit, and we can build up some hype.**

 **I'll probably have chapters pre-written released early, depending on how long this break is, and how desperately I need to write more of this. My estimate for the next chapter, the start of Part Two, 'Over The Years', will most likely be two weeks or three. Possibly more. I can't guarantee anything at this stage.**

 **But yes, this story is broken into sections, otherwise known as 'Parts', named for their key event or summary.**

 **[IMPORTANT: EPILOGUE INFORMATION]**

 **If you've read a lot of books, you most likely encountered an epilogue at the end of a book in a series. TIW will be getting that. So, sometime soon, before the actual Hiatus starts, (we just entered semi-hiatus zone) you will be receiving a 'Epilogue- [TO BE NAMED CHAPTER TITLE] (Sneak Peak)' and then, we enter break-time.**

 **Now, the Epilogue, rather than being the next chapter (that's the opener), will actually contain parts of the upcoming chapters; so that's why it's all crazy, this one moment, that the next, and then the 'W- WHA- WHAT THE?' part where you are questioning EVERYTHING you ever knew. XD**

 **I love all of you, and I thank you for all your support, dedication, and love... I wouldn't be here without you all, so honestly, thank you. :D**

 **Love you all, and may the Dragonites Unite,**

 **-Crystallion12**


	27. Epilogue for Part 2- Hearts & Hate- C26

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **SUMMARY –** **They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **NOTICES:**

 **(First one is about Poll, Third one about upcoming One-Shots)**

 **-There is a new Poll on my Profile Page, and it'll mean a LOT to me if you vote. There is quite a bit there, I'm afraid, but if you read this... Well, that should be no problem. Basically, it consists of fifteen story concepts, including rating, genres and setting (some don't have them confirmed) Depending on what has the most, I'll write... Eh. No idea how it'll work... Just vote. You get three votes!**

 **-We have a lot of TIW One-Shots coming, so I'm going to go ahead and list their titles down. 'Morning Star' , 'Evening Star' , 'The Brother I Never Had' (Two-Shot) , 'Shadows' , 'Torn Away' , 'TBN' (to be named) and finally, 'I Thought I Lost You'. Each one is pretty much all Hurt/Comfort and Angst, and Hiccup/Silus or Hiccup/Toothless bonding, the second last one being the one with the injured Hiccup and the fatherly Aloysius, directly after Hiccup was brought back to Asgard, following the events of Chapter 19 and 20.**

 **-I am now a Beta-Reader! If you are interested at all, PM me, and I hope I can sort something out for you. ;)**

 **-Should you have a request for me to write, I will do it. Thought I should just address that- if it is something to do with TIW or RoS AU, it is more likely to be done quicker- also, stay within reason, because I don't do M rated stuff, PERIOD, unless that rating is for violence. **

**-As soon as this chapter goes up, the Hiatus of TIW is officially started!**

 **-In a few weeks, probably lining up with the beginning of Part Two, there will be an official 'This Is War' forum! PM me for more information, but nothing is confirmed just yet. ;)**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 **Now, I'm sorry to all those who have reviewed, but I won't be doing them for this 'chapter'. Nor, for the Prologue of Part Two.**

 **ShoutOuts will return, though, for the Part Two Opener!**

 **But, that doesn't mean I'm ungrateful. I love all of you, and your support and dedication is downright amazing! THANK YOU! :D**

 **Chapter 26: Hearts and Hate [Epilogue of Part One]**

 **WARNING/NOTE:** **If you do not wish to see spoilers, you may turn away right now. These are three scenes, each one from a different chapter from This Is War, Part Two, 'Over The Ages'. Thank you for your time.**

"Razorwind!" Alestaira walked through the bush, pushing past branches and leaves. Jumping over a log, she huffed. That pesky, annoying, but somehow still well-loved and amazing Deadly Nadder was messing with her, _again_.

After another hour of searching blindly, she heard a familiar, and long overdue squawk. Gathering up all her frustration and releasing it in a single heave, she turned around, and blinked.

Nothing.

"Razor?"

A chortle came from above her, and with a groan, she looked up, and there she was.

Razorwind's gorgeous scales, gleaming and shining in the setting sun, left a ray of colours beaming down on her, and the young woman had to squint.

The Deadly Nadder landed, her beauty, for the hundredth time since they first met, taking Alastaira's breath away. The Nadder had bright, warm orange-yellow eyes, her snout a soft blue as her head was more violet. Down the back of her neck, and running along her spine, it was a hue of dark blue and purple, that got lighter as it reached her pale blue underbelly. As they progressed down, her feet were a violet that transferred into a hot pink. Her claws were an unusual, creamy white, and the entire underside of her wings followed that. Her projectile spines were a pale green.

Alestaira sighed in what could be described as disappointment, mixed in with amusement that she ever thought I'd be any different. "Oh, girl, what would I do without you?" She got a hum in response, as her dragon eagerly stepped forward and pushed her scaly head into her beloved rider's arms.

The dragon gave her a soft growl, that almost translated into, 'You'd be missing your other half, that's what.'

They embraced again, enveloping one another's warmth and love.

Alestaira swung onto her dragon's back clipping herself onto the white, smart saddle, and peering up at the darkening skies. "What do you think, girl?" She asked, petting the dragon's neck as the Nadder spread her wings and released body weight into her strong legs.

"Wanna go for some quick laps around the island before we head home? Danas and Geldar won't be back for another hour, they're on patrol."

Alestaira grinned, smirking as she added the last part. "Without a _single_ boy in sight." Razorwind chirped happily in response, leaping into the crisp afternoon skies, pounding her magnificent wings against the strong breeze that guided them on their supposed merry way...

...To the fateful, and once thought ended dangers that were ahead of them.

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 _You know, Hiccup_. Toothless warbled, rolling onto his back, as the young man at the desk turned to face him.

The dragon smiled. I _miss the times you would draw. When the whole chief thing came up, it slowed by a long shot... And now, what with all the training and stuff... Well... You're never relaxed_. His eyes drooped, and his ear plates pressed against his neck. _I miss seeing you laid back without a care in the world but making me smile. Making me stick my snout in your paper_.

Hiccup chuckled, remembering how his dragon used to do that. But then, he frowned. _I'm relaxed_. He said in defence. _Reading is calming_ \- He tapped the side of his book with the tip of his large wing- _And I'm doing that right now. You said that to me yourself, Bud_.

 _I know. But it's not because you WANT to, is it? Your thinking and concentrating, imagining a battle where that Raquarrak battle scene plays out, and you have to command the troops, or save the people; or, try to do both_.

Hiccup looked at his book, then sneaked a glance at his dragon. Toothless was looking in another direction as he was, his paws.

The dragon's voice hardened, the way it always did when he got serious. _You know that. You deny that. You refuse to accept the fact, that if you want to fulfil your destiny, you can't just set aside everything else._ His eyes lifted. _You can't set aside ME_.

He stood up, and a tiny fear blossomed in Hiccup's heart- what was he doing?

Toothless looked him in the eye, massive slits against emerald orbs. Even if he wasn't trying to, the Skulblaka was the most intimidating thing Hiccup knew in that moment. Especially, with his deep, 'menacing voice', as Aloysius had called it, that echoed in his mind.

 _I'm your dragon, and you are my rider_. His eyes bore into Hiccup's soul harder, if that was even possible.

 _Do not pretend like I am not. I will be over-protective. I will fight for you. I will kill for you. I will DIE for you. And most importantly, I will NEVER, ever, in my entire life, love another the way I do to YOU_.

He lowered his massive head, pressing his snout into Hiccup's loosely open palm. They looked at it together, and met gazes in sync. _We are ONE, Hiccup, and only death can change that_.

After a moment, he drew his head back, and snorted, thin streams of blueish grey smoke rising, causing Hiccup to blink repeatedly.

 _Now- with all that mushiness out the window._..

He gave his rider a playful glare, and grabbed a piece of blank paper, dropping it on the desk with a cute, expectant look.

 _Draw me_.

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **[WARNING: This chapter contains some rather strong language at the end. Viewer discrimination is advised.]**

Hiccup groaned, covering his eyes with a sore hand. To be honest, everything was sore and achy, but he supposed that was to be expected.

The Humanblaka's head turned around sharply, as a dragon poked its head through the tent's entrance, revealing to be a gold and sandstone coloured Firewing, one of Asgard's troops. Beside him, a man appeared, looking just as beaten up and distraught as everyone else. Their matching set of silver armour reflected off the sunset's rays, although stained with dried blood from the battle.

"Come in," Hiccup yawned. "No point standing outside."

They stepped inside with a courteous nod. The man was first to speak up. "Sir, are you well?"

Unamused, he allowed himself to collapse onto the bed. Silence reigned, proving the message had been delivered.

Hiccup's attention fluttered to the dragon, who made a remark something along the lines of 'thought so.' He snorted in amusement. "Yeah. Pretty rough." He remarked, sitting up a bit. The guard scratched the dragon's chin, who rumbled in delight.

"Are you hurt in any way?"

Hiccup shook himself, and winced. "Yeah... But not seriously. They can wait." Seeing the guard about to protest, he raised his voice to the deadly, quiet tone he almost always used to prove his point. "There are others, who are far worse than I." His emerald eyes, dull from the day's events, narrowed. "On the brink of death, perhaps."

At this, the guard and the dragon shared a glance, as if questioning what to say. "Uh... But... Shouldn't we... What..."

"Do not think anything of it." Hiccup assured him.

"I've been through worse than a few pulled muscles, a couple of arrows, and shallow stab wounds." He raised his voice. "You are dismissed. Oh, and could you find Silus...? I'd like to speak with him."

They nodded, leaving the tent.

About an hour later, and night had fallen over the Valley of Echoes.

Toothless had returned from his perimeter patrol, reporting nothing of Queen Scarlet, Drago, or Deathstar.

While dismayed, they hadn't paid it much mind; the important thing was that they had taken out her main hideout, and slowed her plans down by a long shot. From what they could tell, half of her dragon army was now dead.

Hiccup had spent most of the hour going around the camp, visiting the injured, and healing where he had the remaining strength.

Toothless followed him everywhere, determined not to let his rider out of his watchful sight while in the Valley.

Hiccup, while he did not say so aloud, was thankful for his dragon's presence. He made sure his dragon was aware of this, gently rubbing across his mind to let him know. At this stage, they didn't even need words to express their feelings. It was a wonderful part of their relationship, one that neither could imagine living without now... It had came out of no where, but had just... Stuck.

They had just came out of one troop's tent, when they encountered Aloysius and Crimseara passing by.

"Hey Alois... What you up to?" Hiccup asked, and the man sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. Hiccup's eyes drooped in pity, seeing a line of stitches down from his ear to collarbone. That had to be nasty.

 _Well_ , Crimseara said for him, _We're heading off to our tent to rest. And you two_?

Toothless cooed, giving his rider a light lick on his cheek. Groaning, Hiccup pushed him away grudgingly. The dragon merely was silenced, standing by his side loyally.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "We're heading to bed as well. It's been a long nine days and nights of shit, with little to no sleep. Not to mention, I'm not going to be able to sleep comfortably for weeks now."

The Guardian looked almost pitiful, and honestly, quite concerned... "Actually, it's been eleven."

"It has?" Hiccup took a moment to think. "Oh... Dammit."

He ran a hand through his auburn hair, that faded slightly into black at the ends, as it happened to most Humanblakas bonded to dragons. "Must be all the hits to the head I've been taking lately... Or, it could be no slee-"

"Actually, it's probably because of that head wound." Aloysius stepped forward, and touched his forehead, just below his temple. Hiccup involuntarily hissed, pain shooting up his skull and blinding him briefly. "That looks rather serious, and you're getting a mild temperature there. You go to your tent, I'll have someone check it out. Actually, come to think of it, have you even had a look at any injuries since the battle?"

"No... I don't think so." Hiccup tried not to whimper at the concerned, annoyed expression that his old caretaker bore as hard as steel.

"Go to your tent." He ordered. Hiccup growled lowly, feeling some what challenged.

Aloysius hissed quietly. "Don't you dare argue. You've got a temperature, you've lost a rather nasty amount of blood, and you haven't slept for nearly two weeks."

"I'm fine. Leave me the fuck alone."

Aloysius felt his wings twitch in agitation at the attitude, but knew better.

Despite the fact Hiccup was now 34 years old, had matured greatly, was terrifyingly dangerous, both mentally and physically, along with his loyal, brave and selfless personality, which mainly handed him the role of Captain, he still had the stubbornness of a nine year old, and at times, that turned into idiocy that put a Hogfly, re-known as the most unintelligent breed of dragon, to shame.

And now was one of those time, unfortunately. So much for a peaceful night's sleep...

"GO. TO. BED."

"No."

 _Ugh_. What was wrong with this kid? He could pass out from blood-loss (he kinda looked pale, and the guy was awful at staying alive, and generally conscious after the drama was over) at any moment! 

"Hiccup, go to your bed. If you don't, I'll drag you there myself, even if you're kicking and screaming at me the entire time."

The Captain snorted, eyes still narrowed. Toothless and Crimseara were silent. "And why would I do that? I'm not a fucking child, Aloysius!" His dragon slightly backed up on instinct; his Hiccup never usually swore like that...

"Then STOP acting like one! Are you even hearing yourself right now?" The Guardian snapped. He was starting to lose his temper with this idiot.

Hiccup didn't respond.

He simply stood there, looking at the older man coldly.

Aloysius sucked in his breath, the chilly night air biting at his bare arms, the sleeves of his shirt ending just after the shoulder. "Are you going to move your arse and use your brain properly?" He asked, agitation not leaving his tone. "Or continue being an ass hole?"

It seemed as if Hiccup had another backlash to speak, so Aloysius tried the last thing he could think of that didn't make him feel awful.

"Should I remind you, who's the authority, when it comes to the chain of command, _Captain_?"

Alright. Hiccup couldn't argue with that, and that's exactly what his flickered expression within his eyes spoke, loud and clear. Anyone familiar with the chain of command, knew that a Guardian was the highest rank you could get; the Captain was underneath.

It took a moment, but eventually, Hiccup gave in.

With a defiant snort, a cloud of chilly water vapour in the form of a cloud formed, and he turned tail (literally), storming off towards his tent.

Toothless didn't say anything.

He just shuffled his wings, took a breath, and turned, trailing behind his rider, his huge, black glittering shape hiding Hiccup from view.

Aloysius sighed, knowing how stressed Hiccup was at the moment- no one could blame him, either.

But...

Was there more going on, behind the surface of their legendary, prophesy Captain?

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **A/N:**

 **Yeah, no idea where that last one came from. Originally, it was going to be a much, MUCH more darker scene, full of blood and guts... But I decided against it, because it would be a rather large spoiler.**

 **Now, yes, these are ironically spoilers, and that's fine. I intended them to be.**

 **Don't really have anything to say here... If you want to know more about the Hiatus, look at last chapter's A/N. That should give you your answers, and well, if it doesn't, I'm more than happy to help you in any way possible.**

 **I love each one of you, and I look forward to seeing you all in a few weeks or so.**

 **PS- If you don't already know, they are NOT one chapter. They are scenes from different chapters, which I will not name, but feel free to guess! I won't say yes or no to your major questions, to avoid spoilers, but the little things are okay. :p**

 **Next Chapter-**

 **Chapter 27: Forces to be Feared [Prologue of Part Two]**

 **DRAGONITES UNITE! HIATUS, BEGIN!**

 **-Crystallion12.**


	28. Extra 1 of 4- Reunited- C26:25

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **SUMMARY –** **They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **NOTICES:**

 **(First one is about Poll, Fourth is about the new Forum.)**

 **-There is a Poll on my Profile Page, and it'll mean a LOT to me if you vote. Basically, it consists of fifteen story concepts, including rating, genres and setting (some don't have them confirmed) No idea how it'll work... Just vote. You get THREE votes!**

 **-Upcoming TIW One-Shots: Morning Star - Evening Star – I Thought I Lost You – If Only You Knew – The Brother I Never Had – Hello Bad Boy – TBN (to be named) – Shadows – Torn Away – A Slightly Different Turn of Events – It's NOT Round – When The Angels Scream . If any of these you would like to see before any others, feel free to let me know.**

 **-I am now a Beta-Reader! If you are interested at all, PM me, and I hope I can sort something out for you. ;)**

 **-Should you have a request for me to write, I will do it. Thought I should just address that- if it is something to do with TIW or RoS AU, it is more likely to be done quicker- also, stay within reason, because I don't do M rated stuff, PERIOD, unless that rating is for violence. **

**-THERE IS NOW A FORUM FOR 'THIS IS WAR'!**

 **It is called 'This Is War- AU.'**

 **On it, I will share news, One Shots and story information, and perhaps some Sneak Peaks, regarding the entire TIW AU. Any questions you have, can be answered there. ;)**

 **-There will be four of these, updated on random times, so keep an eye out! Thank you for your love and dedication!**

 **-If you are wondering, the release date of the Part Two Prologue is at the end of the A/N!**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 **Sorry guys, no ShoutOuts until the official stuff.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **This Is War**

 **Extra Chapters (Deleted Scenes, if you will; concepts that didn't make the cut.)**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **EXTRA 01/04 : Reunited [Chapter 26.25]**

 _HICCUP, COME ON, WAKE UP_!

Toothless repeatedly roared, just like an alarm (considering the fact that Hiccup kept forgetting to use his own, he didn't care), bursting into the Dormitory. Hiccup, still splayed out on the top bunk of his bed, moaned, rolling onto his side.

"Go back to bed, Bud..." The young man snuggled back into the soft sheets, his wings tucking closer to his back.

Snorting, the Skulblaka wasn't having any of that bull-crap.

Walking further inside the building, and standing beside the bed, he stretched his neck up high,and with some effort, grabbed Hiccup's black wing in his mouth, his deadly teeth retracted.

Yelping indignantly, Hiccup shot up, yanking his wing out of the dragon's jaws. Hissing, he ran his fingers over the faint bite mark, as it ached a bit. Wiping off the saliva, he glared coldly at the dragon, who was immensely amused right now. Folding the extra limbs by his sides, he proceeded to activate his mind to awake mode.

 _So,_ he asked bitterly with his mind. _What's the big deal, and ridicules noise making for, you overgrown lizard? It's called a 'resting day' for a reason, Toothless_. He painfully rubbed his throbbing ear, wincing. He swished his tail around his feet, flexing the silver-white spines to get them ready for the day.

Toothless rolled his eyes, sitting down and licking his paw like a cat would. _Well, it's not so much of a 'rest day', as it is a day for welcoming a new member to our midst_.

Hiccup inclined his head, taking quick note that Lucy and Kuornos, or their dragons, weren't with them at the given moment, in the Dorm. They must have gone off to their lessons. Lucy had been quite excited the previous night, since she was a excellent fighter, and she apparently had combat today.

The Skulblaka gave an unamused face. _Seriously. You DON'T remember_?

 _Nope. Care to enlighten poor, poor Hiccup_?

Groaning, he slapped his paw over his downwards pointing snout. _Ugh_. He sighed out of exasperation. _Silus and Aurora are arriving today! Remember, we attended their ceremony last week_?

Hiccup froze, and laughed awkwardly. _Whoops._ He searched for words. _Guess I kinda forgot- oh, come on, give me a break! A lot has been going on lately_!

 _Very well_. Toothless growled, still not very impressed. _Oh, and by the way- we meet at the Plaza at twelve to meet up with Giselle and Kazenor_. He pulled Hiccup's drawer, grabbing out the young man's clothes for the day and dropping them on his cabinet top, just up to Hiccup's waist in height.

He turned tail, walking towards the door with a snort. Standing in the doorway, he looked back, a series of strange clicks and rumbles in his throat. His pupils were slits but wide and calm, full of love under the surface.

He cooed softly. _I'll see you in the Plaza at Midday, Little One_.

Agitation and negative emotions faded into nothing, Hiccup's eyes shined with that love he held, solely for his special partner of heart and mind. _See you there, Bud._ As the dragon moved to leave, he added affectionately, _Love you_.

 _You too._ He slightly spread his wings. _Be swift, Hiccup, or Silus will have some words for you about schedules._

With a wink, Toothless stepped outside, tail swishing behind him.

Hiccup watched, as his Skulblaka unfurled his massive wings, leaping powerfully into the sky and flying out of sight.

Slipping on his clothes quickly, he went to grab his stuff for the day, before following Toothless' actions, flying off to the Plaza. His dragon had said he would go get his own breakfast in the forest, and Hiccup respected that decision (he didn't really like seeing his dragon kill). He headed for the Restroom block, and went by his resting day morning routine; put clothes on, go have a shower and do whatever regarding bathrooms, then go to the Hall, eat breakfast, and go do whatever he liked; today, he had to go meet Toothless at midday, and he had about an hour and a bit before then.

Oo-oOo-oO

He wound up spending the time practising his flying skills, which were honestly quite awful. No one had said anything, but that was to be expected. It had only be three and a half months into his and Toothless' training, and everything was already weighing down on the young man; it wasn't much of a surprise they were setting it aside for now.

But yet, it was painful.

On the more expected side of it, it wasn't so much physically, as it was emotionally, although when he got aches or cramps, they were downright _agonising,_ and that had happened a lot thanks to a series of crash landings. It didn't need to be said how bad his abilities on flight were- but it wasn't really that aspect that bothered him.

No, it was the looks they all gave him- they weren't despising at all, just _worried_.

Anyone who knew Hiccup could tell some one he hated being fussed and cared for. If he was injured or hurt, he'd desperately try and hide it, which usually failed, ending up in extreme pain and severe consequences for him.

If someone, especially someone he didn't know very well, tried to pry open his emotions and get him to confess, they usually didn't get very far, or got an angry snap in response, and silence for a week.

This was, in full honesty, perhaps Hiccup's worst part of personality.

Being selfless was good, but not so much so when he nearly _died_ because of it.

With a nearly depressed sigh, he looked at his feet, as he decided it'd be better to walk. Every time he flew, and someone was with him, they would have this extremely worried and watchful expression, never taking their eyes off him like a hunter. While unsettling, some times he was grateful for their extra measures of caution, but not really when he wanted to try something on his own.

It didn't take all that long to reach the Plaza, and when he got there, Toothless was already waiting for him. The dragon, thankfully, had washed his mouth of his prey's blood and flesh, and now looked happy and energetic.

Toothless growled in alarm at the approaching sound of footsteps, turning to face his rider. With a happy warble, his ear plates lifted and he purred softly. _Ah, there you are, Little One_. He stepped forward, inviting his rider to embrace his presence.

He ran up to the Skulblaka, throwing his arms around the dragon's thick neck as the Skulblaka hummed. Standing back and reaching up on his tip toes, he placed his hands on the big black creature's cheeks, touching their noses. His snout was still wet, funnily enough, and the scales were cold; despite this, he continued to pamper his dragon, slipping his hands expertly under Toothless's scaly ear plates and under his neck, a bit forward, just where it connected; there was a soft, small and unusual rubbery-like pouch there called the , where the dragon could store certain substances and let them dissolve, such as medicines or miscellaneous plants such as Fireweed. Knowing just how to handle his best friend and soul-mate for life, he rubbed it gently. Immediately the dragon reacted- Toothless relaxed, nearly falling asleep in his bliss.

Their interaction was halted, as a familiar roar split the air, and Kazenor landed with a resonating _thud_ , Giselle on his back. The woman lifted up her silver mask, looking over to Hiccup and his dragon companion.

"Having fun there?" She asked, smiling warmly.

Nodding silently, Hiccup drew his hands away, watching as his dragon nuzzled his leg, begging for attention. "Not now," He murmured. "Later."

Huffing, Toothless looked like he was ready to submit to his frustration, but decided against it.

 _Silus and Aurora just came through the Gates, Shur'tugal_. Kazenor hummed, lifting his green snout to the sky.

He was slightly smaller than Crimseara, so he was somewhat near Toothless' size. His head had a variety of scale shapes and sizes, and he had a long, narrow snout, with sharp, almost needle-like teeth. He had two large fangs pointing upwards near the back, and a few others like that- he also had a horn on his snout, which was white, unlike his horns which were above and behind his eyes, which had a almost rubbery texture and a few scales- he had wide-set eyes like Toothless, and two smaller green horns that were in the position of Toothless' ear flaps.

Some small spikes ran down three lines of his forehead, and he had large, dark green plates down his snout; he had some of those along his cheek bone, too, and below, coming around until they met three spikes/horns on his jaw. His eyes were a soft yellow, which faded into a gentle orange around the pupils.

Like all the Skulblakas they had met, he had long, sharp, near triangular scales down the his neck, back, shoulders and tail. He had a muscular, lean build, with scars to and fro across his body.

The main colour of his scales was a beautiful sea-foam green, which had a tint of blue, almost like a darker tone of mint. The smooth underside of his tail, underbelly and neck was a lime green.

A line of sharp, dark green spikes ran down all down his spine. His wings were huge, the bones a sea-foam green, while the membrane was lime. His legs were strong and muscular, ending with three toes and white claws- his forelegs had an extra claw, a thumb. His tail had no tail-fins, but instead had three spikes that connected to a line of plates on the top of his tail.

 _I saw them on the way_. He looked at Hiccup, singling his mind out. The sun reflected on his shiny scales, _I believe he will make for a great friend for you, Hiccup_.

Hiccup nodded, just as a large, glittering black, blue and purple Skulblaka appeared in the sky. Toothless howled joyously, rearing up on his strong hind legs. His wings flared up, as he let loose a loud roar.

The dragon roared back, and Kazenor distributed his own call- while it wasn't anything compared to his _real_ roar, which could shake a mountain and deafen a Gronckle (and boy, he _knew_ ) it still rang through the city, undoubtedly reaching the two's ears. Aurora performed a flip mid-air, getting a high pitched, so _manly_ , and utterly hilarious scream on her back.

Hiccup looked over at Giselle, and the rider gestured her wing towards them. Toothless was jumping around, tail wagging, clearly eager to be reunited.

"Go on then." Giselle said softly. "No point keeping you here like this- just don't tell Aloysius. The guy's more overprotective of you than a Ice Fury over her only son."

Kazenor hummed in approval, and rider got on dragon, as they took into the skies, making a bee-line for the new Skulblaka and her rider.

The reuniting dragons was a sight to behold.

It came naturally, being the only other Night Fury Toothless had ever known, he would be drawn towards Aurora.

The two flew around each other sprightly, chirruping and warbling in excitement. Their riders waved and smiled at each other, but usually not for long, because their Skulblaka's constant changing of positions.

Aurora sure had changed, with the same build as Toothless, if not a bit more lean and feminine. Her claws and head horns were white, but her spines were a shimmery silver. Her main colour was a midnight black, but with every ray of sunlight, it reflected purple and blue in places. Down her feet, it was more purple, and her neck and body, blue, and getting to a dark purple near her tail. Her wings were lighter shades, lilac, icy blue and pink, that shone in the sun with a sheen that was almost pearlescent.

Not looking at what he was doing, since he was so busy staring at Aurora, Hiccup nearly wound up severely injured, as usual. Hiccup yelped in shock, as he lurched forward, nearly getting skewered by the large spike in front of him. He could practically feel Toothless' alarm for that moment, before he calmed.

Getting up, he made sure he was gripping strongly with his knees.

Silus shouted over the wind to him, as their dragons calmed and merely circled one another in the air.

"Should we land?" He asked, and Hiccup didn't need a second thought.

"Yeah!" He responded. "Unless, of course, we want to get stabbed by a huge spike in front of us!"

The other Shur'tugal chuckled, sitting straight, urging his mount to hover mid-air vertically. She looked back at him with one icy blue eye, cooing. Silus patted her neck, and she roared at Toothless before gliding towards the Plaza, where Giselle and Kazenor were silently watching from at the doors of the Hall.

Getting the cue, the black dragon, quite a bit bigger than Aurora, growled, flying after her. They landed, the latter mere seconds after the other.

Aurora lowered herself to allow Silus to get off, and even waited until he said she was good to go, before she roared and took back into the sky. Toothless, much to the contrary, watched in amusement as Hiccup sat for a second, utterly situated in the worst possible place. He bit his lip, before swinging himself over, and wound of balancing on Toothless' shoulder. The Night Fury groaned, wincing, before nudging him off.

The moment was glorious; Hiccup made his best face-plant yet, that would hold a personal record for many years to come. He didn't exactly sound the most excited, especially when Silus started laughing like crazy.

After perusing his rider for any obvious injuries, (other than his dignity, mind you) Toothless deemed Hiccup fine, before spreading his wings to chase Aurora.

"Ugh... Useless reptile..." Hiccup groaned. He slowly stood up, shaking himself. The humanblaka glared coldly at Silus, which only inspired the younger man to laugh harder. "Oh, shut it." His voice was snappy and agitated, and did manage to calm Silus down.

They both chuckled shortly afterwards, watching their dragons in the sky act like five year olds, on Snoggletog morning.

"It's funnily typical, you know." Silus said quietly. He was responded with a confused growl. "I mean, like, we met because of dragons... Night Furies... I don't know, I guess It's just like fate is smacking us, hard."

"Yeah, I sometimes feel like fate hates me... Actually, scratch that, it _does_." Hiccup snorted at his own words, looking down on Silus.

The kid _had_ definitely grown since they last saw each other.

Oo-oOo-oO

The teens eyes were locked onto Aurora, as she circled Toothless, both of them cooing happily.

After a while, Silus looked down. "I don't understand..." He murmured.

"What is it?"

Silus' gaze hardened. "It's just... Why me? Why did she choose _me_ , of all people? I wasn't even interested in dragons, until I met her!" His tone softened. "It's not like I'm not grateful, or anything. Bonding with Aurora is undoubtedly the best thing that has ever happened to me, and meeting you and Toothless follows shortly behind..."

Hiccup touched his shoulder. "Don't think about it much. When I first met Toothless... Well, let's just say I was intending to kill him." He smiled faintly, remembering the times like they were yesterday.

"I never could have imagined what would happen because of a hiccup. A mistake- I was different, and I had always thought that was a bad thing... But it wasn't."

He spoke his next words with confidence. "Toothless didn't just become my best friend, he became my purpose. He was my death, and then my saviour; and now, my soul mate for life. My partner of mind, heart, and soul, until they day we die."

He looked up at Silus, who was at a loss for words. "I doubt I'll ever know the exact reason why dragons choose their riders. Some believe it's magic, other think it's just fate and luck. He looked at Silus in the eye. "It's you that Aurora loves, Silus. Not anything else. She didn't pick you for looks, for your abilities, your home." His gaze hardened. "Don't ever forget that. She loves _you_ , for _YOU_."

The teen still was frowning. "I... Hiccup, I don't really understand, but... I can understand that. I love her for her... Not being a Night Fury, or beautiful. I understand that. I might not ever know why she chose me, but I can try."

He inclined his head, his eyes switching from Toothless to Hiccup. "Hiccup, what do you think about you and Toothless?"

"What? What do you mean...?" He asked.

Silus nearly snorted. "Well, you can't seriously think it was just luck that brought you two together. Come on, don't say you believe that for you two."

Hiccup sighed. This was something that had bothered him since he came to Asgard.

"I know what you mean. For us... It's more. They won't tell me why, but I've got reason to think it is. Every time Aloysius, Odin or someone just looks at us... It's like they're hiding something from us, that they refuse to tell me." He sounded angry, as he sent a seething look over to a unaware Giselle by the wall. If her Skulblaka noticed, he said and did nothing. "I asked Toothless, but... He knew nothing."

Silus gulped, looking up at Aurora and Toothless, who had now landed, and were looking at Silus with concerned faces.

Silus took a deep breath. "Hiccup... I can't tell you what, but it's more than a hunch you have..."

"Explain." Hiccup nearly felt rage flare inside him, but it stuck to anger, and the mutual hurt of betrayal.

"They are keeping a secret from you, and we all know it."

Hiccup hissed. "TELL ME."

"I... Hiccup, I can't. I literally cannot- I swore an oath to it. A _magical_ oath."

He slumped, wings dropping to the ground. He felt like everything was a lie. Why couldn't he know? Was it a bad, or good thing? Why did they have to keep it away from him?! "Why?" He whispered, voicing all his emotions.

 _Little One... It's better this way_. Toothless murmured, walking over to nuzzle him. _I know you... And I know you wouldn't like it. I may not know how you'd react exactly, but... You're not ready to know yet_.

 _I'm not ready for anything, apparently_! Hiccup shouted angrily. _First, they hide the reason for such secrecy, regarding the other Shur'tugalar and their Skulblakas locations! And then, why they won't tell us about Drago Bludvist and that damn black dragon, and now, this_! Toothless was left silent, and knowing the crap that was life at the moment, Toothless probably knew the answers to all these questions. _Why?! Why the secrecy_?

 _Little One_. Toothless looked at him with that guilt-inducing expression. _You can't know. One day, but not now. You're just NOT ready... You're not_. He whined. _Please, Hiccup, just accept it. I beg you_.

Hiccup sighed heavily, looking down. His emotions were currently battling one another, and he just didn't know who would prevail.

He turned to Silus and Aurora, who were looking sympathetic.

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have been so... I don't... It's just- Look, so much has been going on at the moment, every thing's crazy, and well..." He rambled on, slipping over his own words. Aurora cooed softly, closing the space by extending her long neck.

 _Oh, you poor thing_... She murmured softly- her voice was gentle, angelic even- but yet, it had a fierce tint, that would probably be otherwise terrifying. _We understand, dear, and we respect it, too. You've got more pressure and responsibility on your wings right now, Hatchling, than most Humanblakas have in their entire lives._

Silus stroked her shoulder, adoration shining in his eyes. "She's right, Hiccup. We're not just here to train and kick evils unflattering rear end- we're also here for you." Silus smiled kindly.

"They told me I could return to Berk, but we stayed." This took Hiccup by surprise, and he nearly said something, but didn't. "Any time you need someone to talk to, we'll be here. All of us... You're not alone Hiccup, you're not."

Hiccup smiled gratefully, feeling somewhat teary. "Thanks, guys... I'll be sure to remember that."

Suddenly, he frowned, and whispered one word.

"Crap..."

The others looked at him expectantly, Silus being some-what alarmed. Hiccup groaned.

He looked some what ashamed. "I forgot which Sleeping Chambers you two are in..." '

Silus and Aurora both burst out laughing, while Toothless rolled his eyes. Glaring at them, Hiccup raised his voice to shout to Giselle and her dragon.

"WHERE DOES THE TOUR START, AGAIN? AND WHICH CHAMBER ARE THEY IN?" Giselle frowned, inclining her head to signify she didn't understand or hear what he said.

So, in a _brilliant_ show of _amazing_ , wide-ranged vocabulary, he shouted...

" _I'M STUCCCKKKKKKKKKK!_ "

Giselle's face-palm could be heard for miles. Hey, what was wrong with simplicity? It gets the message across...

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N:** So yes, some might be wondering what's going on here, and well, I personally say that's understandable.

These EXTRA chapters are simply to fill in some holes, and keep readers in touch. Also, just randomly, my new A/N layout is this. I kinda like it better; it's easier to read, and understand, in a way.

Also, anyone who might have read the TIW One-Shot, 'Birthday Leap', will probably notice the dramatic character change in Aurora, regarding her dialogue; from my perspective, the one line (I believe it's literally one line) she says makes in _Birthday Leap_ her appear to be a complete, utter snob. While here, she is more motherly and compassionate, even to the stage of calling Hiccup, who she hasn't even known for all that long, 'dear', and 'hatchling'.

For those nit-picky kinds of people, see it like this. While young, she has a mature type of nature, being a dragon, which also aids her confidence within saying things; not a lot of people with a brain has the courage to disagree with a huge, fire breathing reptile. She is comfortable just being affectionate, and there isn't really any big meaning behind the nicknames other than 'I care about you', so... Also, I should probably mention, before she met Silus, she actually was in a situation where she was a motherly figure, so to speak, and she has played the role of a dragon babysitter.

I can't really give any other explanation, other than this; EARLY DEVELOPMENT. Most of you should be quite familiar with this term, but, for those who don't, here's the complete summary- the creator is still working out the kinks- so basically, brain storming and deciding on whatever is being developed.

But yeah, you already saw the notices, so I'll just say this... (If you read them, I dunno- let me put down a list of brief things for those who don't.)

Last thing, this A/N will be featured on every one of these EXTRAS, which will be distributed on random times and dates, so if you are a downright amazing follower or reader, who eats up any TIE content by me, my recommendation is to be sure to keep an eye out, and be sure to grab an extra cookie on the way out. ;)

 **RUN DOWN OF NOTICES FOR THOSE WHO DIDN'T READ THEM AT THE START:**

- **NEW TIW FORUM IS UP!**

 **-THERE ARE FOUR OF THESE, IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY DONE YOUR MATH.**

 **-RELEASE DATE OF PART TWO PROLOGUE IS DOWN BELOW!**

 **-TAKING REQUESTS!**

 **-I AM A BETA-READER, AND HAVE A APPRENTICE, DARKSCALE WOLFLOVERBOY!**

 **-ONE AND TWO SHOTS SET IN THIS AU ARE COMING IN MASSIVE WAVES!**

 **-DO MY FREAKING POLL, OR ELSE TIW STOPS FOREVER! (XD, JUST KIDDING, YOU DON'T HAVE TO, I'M JUST BEING A TROLL.)**

 **COMING (RELATIVELY) SOON:**

 **EXTRA 2/4: Dracoris Anscesora**

 **This Is War - Part Two 'Over The Years'**

 **Prologue-**

 **'Forces to be Feared'**

 **Estimated Release Date: 7/8th of May**

DRAGONITES UNITE! XD, I feel like a business lady... X_X

 **-Crystallion12**


	29. Extra 2 of 4- Dracoris Anscesora- C26:50

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **SUMMARY –** **They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **NOTICES:**

 **(First one is about Poll, Fourth is about the new Forum.)**

 **-There is a Poll on my Profile Page, and it'll mean a LOT to me if you vote. Basically, it consists of fifteen story concepts, including rating, genres and setting (some don't have them confirmed) No idea how it'll work... Just vote. You get THREE votes!**

 **-Upcoming TIW One-Shots: Morning Star - Evening Star – I Thought I Lost You – If Only You Knew – The Brother I Never Had – Hello Bad Boy – TBN (to be named) – Shadows – Torn Away – A Slightly Different Turn of Events – It's NOT Round – When The Angels Scream . If any of these you would like to see before any others, feel free to let me know.**

 **-I am now a Beta-Reader! If you are interested at all, PM me, and I hope I can sort something out for you. ;)**

 **-Should you have a request for me to write, I will do it. Thought I should just address that- if it is something to do with TIW or RoS AU, it is more likely to be done quicker- also, stay within reason, because I don't do M rated stuff, PERIOD, unless that rating is for violence. **

**-THERE IS NOW A FORUM FOR 'THIS IS WAR'!**

 **It is called 'This Is War- AU.'**

 **On it, I will share news, One Shots and story information, and perhaps some Sneak Peaks, regarding the entire TIW AU. Any questions you have, can be answered there. ;)**

 **-There will be four of these, updated on random times, so keep an eye out! Thank you for your love and dedication!**

 **-If you are wondering, the release date of the Part Two Prologue is at the end of the A/N!**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 **Sorry guys, no ShoutOuts until the official stuff.**

 **BUT, I might do them in the Prologue to save the actual first chapter from just me responding to all your amazing reviews. XD**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **This Is War**

 **Extra Chapters (Deleted Scenes, if you will; concepts that didn't make the cut.)**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **WARNING: The second Paragraph of this is EXTREMELY boring, but you guys prefer to know what places look like, so... Deal with it.**

 **On a more serious level, there is some 'teen' amusement later on, and the last paragraph might be a bit scary. Viewer discrimination advised.**

 **EXTRA 02/04 : Dracoris Anscesora [Chapter 26.50]**

It took about three hours to get to the City from the Training Colony, and apparently, it was rather fast for the luxurious pace they went by, and their 'inexperience'. That little remark had Toothless in childish fits that had everyone laughing in the end. After a short nap to regain their energy and feeling in the body, they were standing in the City Plaza, (Don't confuse it for the Colony's one) Giselle explaining to them that she had some important trip to make on demand.

"You sure you'll be alright? I don't like to leave you on your own." Giselle's glittering wings fluttered, her brows creased in concern.

Hiccup snorted. "We'll be fine, Giselle. We can take care of ourselves!" He said with such confidence, it seriously made Kazenor wonder if this kid knew the extent of his rider's power over him. The Skulblaka was keeping most of his attention on the airborne dragons, frolicking in the skies, like the hatchlings they were, at least in his eyes.

Giselle raised an eyebrow, and he gave a innocent smile. Silus chuckled softly, nudging Hiccup's wing with his own playfully, as the young Humanblaka hissed in annoyance. He responded with his own little shove, which continued to go on as Hiccup continued to speak.

"Besides, whatever is calling you has to be more important." He pouted at her expression. "We're mature..." He said innocently and sweetly, just like a little angel (pun unintended), quietly hissed afterwards, batting Silus' shoulder with his wing-claw like the devil.

In a snide move, he stepped in front of Silus, triumphantly snorting at the teens exasperation and anger.

Silus piped up out of no-where, stretching his neck upwards so he could get his head over Hiccup's shoulder. They growled at one another, and Hiccup nearly yowled when the teen stepped lightly on his tail to stop him from talking. "Promise."

"Sure," the woman said sarcastically with a perfected blunt voice, rolling her eyes as they shone with a green light.

His tail released, Hiccup, almost on instinct, purred, stepping forward to rub his head against her arm.

With a soft laugh, she kissed his forehead, hugging him. Before long, Silus jumped in on it, deciding that anyone close to Hiccup deserved it. "Stay safe. And don't kill each other." She murmured, breaking apart.

She spread her large wings, elegantly jumping into the sky with barely any evident effort.

She hovered above them. "Remember, if _anything_ happens, come here if you can, and wait until someone gets to you."

"Got it!" Hiccup said, smiling as he bowed, almost mockingly.

Sighing and shaking her head, the Humanblaka whistled to Kazenor, and flew away, disappearing behind a large building with him close on her tail.

For a moment, they were silent, just watching as the dragons landed, bounding over to their individual riders. _So._.. Toothless hummed softly, reaching his mind to all three. _Where do we go first_?

 _We'll do a layout fly-by_. Hiccup said telepathically, feeling some-what overwhelmed by the force of talking to three beings at once. How Toothless did it, he had no idea.

They hopped onto their mounts, pouncing into the skies like Exterminators on a killing spree...

Now, _this_ , would be interesting.

Oo-oOo-oO

[Okay, just a heads up here, we look at this from BIRDS-EYE-VIEW. The Front Gate is furthest south, the North Courtyard is at the top. Imagine it like a map.

For reference, I'll use this as a little guide.]

The entrance to the city, and the first actual part of Dracoris Anscesora was at the front, and literally called, 'The Front Gate'. It was the only section of the surrounding force-field that you could enter, thanks to the talented magic of their ancestors. The forcefield protected the city from intruders, and only magically approved Shur'tugalar and their dragons, when holding a certain accessory (they didn't know what) could go straight through the shield.

[Going up in a straight line here] Above that, you had the massive South Courtyard, followed by the Throne Room, used for coronations, treaties, private meetings, and so on. Next was the Plaza (usually just for being there- sometimes when traders came, markets were held there), which was just in front of the biggest building in the whole City, the Hall (just Hall, no 'great' added on) where most things like meals and casual parties were held. Above that, out a large exit, was the North Courtyard, which was the smallest, but widest of the four. It was mostly used for emergency meetings.

To the west and east of the South Courtyard, there were three restrooms, and behind those, Sleeping Chambers 1 and 2 [Even numbers to the east, Odd to the West, this is symmetrical.].

The Sleeping Chambers, where the Shur'tugalar and their Skulblakas resided in huge rooms, were next. Each sleeping chamber was identical as a building, having three floors with four rooms per hallway. They could be accessed through the Chambers, through the Throne Room's side sections. The individual rooms, customised to the owner's liking, were called 'Quarters'.

For Sleeping Chambers 1 and 2, they were a single block, with 12 rooms each. At the end [other side of the pool] was a long, tall hallway, with staircases to get to each room. It was confusing, but efficient.

They then had the long halls that connected all the Sleeping Chambers, which were just called 'Chambers'. They had spare rooms, more designed to fit guests without enormous, magical dragons. Down [so towards the South] from there, was the Pools 1 and 2, the Backyards 1 and 2 (an open, large field, you get the idea) and a single restroom by the Pool Area for convenience. [All of these, once again, symmetrical, odd numbers to the east, even to the west.]

[Going outwards to east/west] To the other side of the pool, backyard and chambers, there were the joined Sleeping Chambers (so they are connected, there is a hall between them) numbered 3 and 5, [numbers go outwards, five is furthest to the west- six is furthest to the east] and in theme, 4 and 6. At the end of each hall, there were huge windows that Skulblakas could enter through, making it much easier.

For Sleeping Chambers 3 & 5, along with 4 & 6, it was much easier to reach the rooms. The respective Courtyards had large double doors, that led inside, where staircases led to the second and third floors, and you just went through a single door to get to the bottom floor. There were also the windows, which the dragons usually used for convenience.

Down below [to the south] the Backyards and Sleeping Chambers 3 to 6, were the East and West Courtyards, to their respective directions. Beside those, underneath the Sleeping Chambers 1 and 2, were the West and East Practise Grounds, respectively.

Going around [a perimeter, if you will. Even numbers to the west, South to the east this time] the furthest outward Sleep Chambers, and all around the city (so like a dome of towers) , were tall Towers, 1 to 12.

The south-west and south-east corners both had a different building, that sat between the West/East Courtyards and the first towers. To the East, was the Hospital (do I really need to explain that?) and to the West, the Library.

Behind the Chambers, and Sleeping Chambers 1 and 2, were Sleeping Chambers 7 and 8 [7 to the west, 8 to the east] which were munch bigger than their counterparts. Their rooms were larger, and they had 5 floors each, with three rooms on either side. (Like 3 to 6, they were split in the middle)

[Moving up north now] Between the gaps of the Towers, and Sleeping Chambers 7 and 8, there were two different buildings, similar to the south corners. To the east, was the Forge, Weaponry and Armoury (all in one, it's split though inside), and to the west, the Magical Training Unit.

Between the last tower, and the Hall, [above the Magical Training Unit/Armoury, Forge, Weaponry, Sleeping Chambers 7 and 8] were more structures; for the East, the Aerial Training Unit, and the West, Weaponry Training Unit.

Surrounding the buildings, and in-between buildings, there were smaller towers, otherwise known as 'Landing Platforms' where mainly Skulblakas could land for a break, or for another reason.

To the north-east corner of the protected city area, was the Bath-House, (Although there were showers in the Hall) and to the north-west, was the Bar, courtesy of the men's requests. Aloysius had been quite amused, when he had told Hiccup of it.

"So..." Silus drawled out. They stood on one of the Landing Platforms, their dragons being just small enough to fit on one together. "That's all?"

Hiccup scratched his chin, thinking. "Well... I think there was a underground prison or something, too, but I can't be sure." He shrugged casually. "Nothing important, I think. Although I still can't remember your Quarter's location..."

"Come to think of what Aloysius said, you _might_ have to sleep in our room..." Hiccup explained. One hand wrapped around the spine in front of him, the other on Toothless' saddle, he gave his dragon a soft nudge on his side. The dragon stood with a soft grunt, moving around in the spot. His wings shuffled in anticipation of flight, with a audible noise, and he swished his long tail around a bit.

Silus face palmed, shaking his head. Seeing Toothless, he repeated the process for Aurora, and she got up too.

He leaned forward to rest a hand on Aurora's thick neck, just to the side of a spine, the cold, but dry scales reflecting a cross between purple and dark blue, down the surrounding scales around the spikes at the back of her neck. (Jeez, that was a unflattering mouthful...)

 _Come on, girl_. _Let's go_. He said to her softly, as Toothless flew into the air, the dragoness shortly following.

 **(SORRY FOR BEING SO LONG AND BORING AND CRAP. IT WAS A TOUR. DEAL WITH IT.)**

Oo-oOo-oO

"Me and Toothless' room is in Chamber One, I think." Hiccup explained to Silus , over on Aurora. The teen looked over at him, gripping on stronger with his knees.

He suddenly grasped what Hiccup said. "You _think_?"

"Hey!" Hiccup cried indignantly. "It's been about four months since I was last here! You saw how big this City is. It's kinda funny. On the second day here, I was looking around for the Hall- and yes, I was an idiot- and instead wound up in the Library. Everyone looked unbelievably confused, and Aloysius still hasn't let me live it down."

Suddenly stopping, he groaned. _Big_ mistake. Silus was laughing his butt off, almost falling off the saddle in his amused fit.

"Oh, shut it." Hiccup growled, urging his dragon to go faster. Toothless obeyed. BUT, before he did, though, he found it fitting to humiliate the one who dared laugh at his rider...

With a single snort, he flicked his extremely flexible tail, grabbing Silus' wings and flipping him, so he hung onto Aurora by just his tail and legs. Silus was still screaming by the time Hiccup and Aurora looked, alarmed, before silence reigned. A split second later, they burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"HEY! Aurora! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE ON _MY_ SIDE!" Silus shrieked, punching the air beneath him pathetically.

 _Sorry, baby, but it's just too funny_! The dragoness roared in laughter, a small bit of smoke escaping her nostrils. She was almost most wheezing.

This only triggered more laughter, and it only increased when Hiccup noticed something.

"DUDE! Zip your pants up!" Hiccup screeched mid-laughter, falling onto his front over the saddle. He had to dig his knees into Toothless, just to stay on the dragon's back. At the last second, he grabbed the dragon's spine, avoiding getting stabbed fatally.

Gods, that was _annoying_.

Toothless was simply over the moon with hilarity, so much he had water in his eyes.

Suddenly, something about revenge-seeking villains didn't hit him in the same way as before... Revenge sure _was_ sweet...

Meanwhile, Silus was howling in panic, while Aurora mistakenly looked- she was curious what this 'zip your pants' was...

Oh no.

She roared in horror, covering her eyes with a paw.

 _MY EYES THEY BURN!_ She screeched into the air, as Silus groaned in despair. He would NEVER live this down.

 _WHAT HAS BEEN SEEN CANNOT BE UNSEEN!_

Cackling, almost madly, at his friends' reactions, Toothless grinned a toothy smirk; that's what you get when you embarrass _his_ rider.

Oo-oOo-oO

"I am _never_ going to live that down, am I?" Silus asked, miserably laying on his back. He shuffled again, trying to find a position that wouldn't hurt his tail or wings.

They were in Hiccup and Toothless' Quarters, coordinates Chamber 1, Floor 2, Room 2. [The rooms were numbered from the front to back] The sky was almost dark, and they had got back to his room quickly after dinner. Just enjoying the relaxation. Their dragons were laid down beside each other across the room, purring and trilling to each other with heavy-lidded eyes.

"Nope." Hiccup said, popping the p. The young man was laid on his stomach, feeling relaxed since... Actually, when had he last felt this way?

He looked at the bed beneath him in a moment of sheer shock and confusion. Had he really been pushing himself that hard? Sitting up, Silus clearly picked up on what he was feeling, whether that be another super-human power of Humanblakas, or just the teens amazing ability to help his friends, and sense when they were distressed...

Despite the fact they didn't know each other all that well, Hiccup felt like Silus was one of his best friends beside Toothless, and his old friends, of course.

Silus rested a hand on his arm, before cooing softly, standing onto his knees and moving towards him in a weird, almost animal like way with his wings acting like a Monstrous Nightmare's would; taking place of his arms, which tucked against his chest, Silus practically slithered towards him, before falling back and sitting on his knees. He allowed his wings to fall by his sides, splaying over the large bed.

"Hey..." He said softly, leaning forward to rest his head on the older Humanblaka's thigh. Hiccup shivered a bit at the close touch, feeling some-what vulnerable. "You okay? You look troubled." His wings fluttered slightly, picking up a sense of unease in the air.

With a soft growl of apology, he lifted his head away, and Hiccup visibly relaxed. He gave Hiccup a coo of guilt. "Sorry, I shouldn't have. It was just..."

"Your instinct?" Hiccup asked, finishing Silus' sentence. The teen nodded. He looked at his tail, curled around his knees to rest in front of him. The black scales glimmered in the dying sunlight peaking through the balcony, shining blue and purple like Aurora's. He eyed the silver spines as they lightly rose up and down to his command. "I know what you mean." Hiccup explained. "Only the other day when flying, I lost my balance in the sky- just as I was about to plummet, I flared up my wings and caught the wind. Without command or thought."

Silus was quiet and looked thoughtful as he told him that, before lightly brushing his scaly tail over the bed's soft surface. The covers were soothing under his tail, and he inwardly shivered; it was just like hands- he could feel it all, it just felt so natural. He wondered if he would ever get used to the feeling and motions.

They both sat, silent for a minute. Eventually, Hiccup growled softly, nudging Silus' arm with his tail, shining orange from the lamp's warm light. The sun had set during their conversation, leaving them in a fairly dark room.

Yawning, Hiccup wanted to stretch his back, and grunted in surprise as his back indistinctly tried to arch like a certain house pet.

Laughing, Silus shook his head. "My friend's a cat, I see."

Hiccup snorted in defiance at him, before standing up, swinging his legs over the side of his bed, not caring much when his tail followed him, sliding off the bed without any effort.

"Well, I've been thinking about it all-" Hiccup said. "-I'm going to ask Aloysius soon enough... Just need to find a time to do it."

He continued to talk on while folding some of his clothes he had brought over, barely aware that Silus was being awfully silent. Scared he had said something wrong, the young Shur'tugal closed the curtains, tying a loose red ribbon around the middle.

As he turned around, his genuine first emotion was confusion.

Silus was flopped on the bed in a awkward position, and the dragons' heads were up, looking just as confused as he. Just as Hiccup rose his voice to question it, his heart skipped a beat, and the nine realms seemed to stop moving.

A piercing, sickeningly familiar sound of metal and rope whipped through the air.

Hiccup knew that sound anywhere.

Out of no known whereabouts, a bola wrapped itself around Aurora's snout and body with a muffled groan in response, as Toothless screeched, standing in alarm, teeth unsheathed, but even he was too slow.

A sleeping dart to his dragon's neck later, and a second to realise he was In serious trouble, and the lights went out, leaving him in pitch darkness.

Five words escaped his mouth. "You've GOT to be kidding."

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N:** So yes, some might be wondering what's going on here, and well, I personally say that's understandable.

These EXTRA chapters are simply to fill in some holes, and keep readers in touch. Also, just randomly, my new A/N layout is this. I kinda like it better; it's easier to read, and understand, in a way.

Also, anyone who might have read the TIW One-Shot, 'Birthday Leap', will probably notice the dramatic character change in Aurora, regarding her dialogue; from my perspective, the one line (I believe it's literally one line) she says makes in _Birthday Leap_ her appear to be a complete, utter snob. While here, she is more motherly and compassionate, even to the stage of calling Hiccup, who she hasn't even known for all that long, 'dear', and 'hatchling'.

For those nit-picky kinds of people, see it like this. While young, she has a mature type of nature, being a dragon, which also aids her confidence within saying things; not a lot of people with a brain has the courage to disagree with a huge, fire breathing reptile. She is comfortable just being affectionate, and there isn't really any big meaning behind the nicknames other than 'I care about you', so... Also, I should probably mention, before she met Silus, she actually was in a situation where she was a motherly figure, so to speak, and she has played the role of a dragon babysitter.

I can't really give any other explanation, other than this; EARLY DEVELOPMENT. Most of you should be quite familiar with this term, but, for those who don't, here's the complete summary- the creator is still working out the kinks- so basically, brain storming and deciding on whatever is being developed.

But yeah, you already saw the notices, so I'll just say this... (If you read them, I dunno- let me put down a list of brief things for those who don't.)

Last thing, this A/N will be featured on every one of these EXTRAS, which will be distributed on random times and dates, so if you are a downright amazing follower or reader, who eats up any TIW content by me, my recommendation is to be sure to keep an eye out, and be sure to grab an extra cookie on the way out. ;)

 **RUN DOWN OF NOTICES FOR THOSE WHO DIDN'T READ THEM AT THE START:**

- **NEW TIW FORUM IS UP!**

 **-THERE ARE FOUR OF THESE, IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY DONE YOUR MATH.**

 **-RELEASE DATE OF PART TWO PROLOGUE IS DOWN BELOW!**

 **-TAKING REQUESTS!**

 **-I AM A BETA-READER, AND HAVE A APPRENTICE, DARKSCALE WOLFLOVERBOY!**

 **-ONE AND TWO SHOTS SET IN THIS AU ARE COMING IN MASSIVE WAVES!**

 **-DO MY FREAKING POLL, OR ELSE TIW STOPS FOREVER! (XD, JUST KIDDING, YOU DON'T HAVE TO, I'M JUST BEING A TROLL.)**

 **COMING (RELATIVELY) SOON:**

 **EXTRA 3/4: First Kill (The Reality of the Kill)**

 **This Is War - Part Two 'Over The Years'**

 **Prologue-**

 **'Forces to be Feared'**

 **Estimated Release Date: 7/8th of May**

DRAGONITES UNITE! XD, I feel like a business lady... X_X

 **-Crystallion12**


	30. Extra 3 of 4- First Kill- C26:75

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **SUMMARY –** **They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **NOTICES:**

 **(First one is about Poll, Fourth is about the new Forum.)**

 **-There is a Poll on my Profile Page, and it'll mean a LOT to me if you vote. Basically, it consists of fifteen story concepts, including rating, genres and setting (some don't have them confirmed) No idea how it'll work... Just vote. You get THREE votes!**

 **-Upcoming TIW One-Shots: Morning Star - Evening Star – I Thought I Lost You – If Only You Knew – The Brother I Never Had – Hello Bad Boy – TBN (to be named) – Shadows – Torn Away – A Slightly Different Turn of Events – It's NOT Round – When The Angels Scream . If any of these you would like to see before any others, feel free to let me know.**

 **-I am now a Beta-Reader! If you are interested at all, PM me, and I hope I can sort something out for you. ;)**

 **-Should you have a request for me to write, I will do it. Thought I should just address that- if it is something to do with TIW or RoS AU, it is more likely to be done quicker- also, stay within reason, because I don't do M rated stuff, PERIOD, unless that rating is for violence. **

**-THERE IS NOW A FORUM FOR 'THIS IS WAR'!**

 **It is called 'This Is War- AU.'**

 **On it, I will share news, One Shots and story information, and perhaps some Sneak Peaks, regarding the entire TIW AU. Any questions you have, can be answered there. ;)**

 **-There will be four of these, updated on random times, so keep an eye out! Thank you for your love and dedication!**

 **-If you are wondering, the release date of the Part Two Prologue is at the end of the A/N!**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 **Sorry guys, no ShoutOuts until the official stuff.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **This Is War**

 **Extra Chapters (Deleted Scenes, if you will; concepts that didn't make the cut.)**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **WARNING: STRONG VIOLENCE, TORTURE, Blood and Gore, as well as Swearing is ahead.**

 **Viewer/Reader discrimination is highly advised.**

 **Those in caps are most severe of aspects below that raise concern. It IS rated T for a reason, you know.**

 **Don't like, Don't read, go read some good fluffy fics, not this horror.**

 **I'm giving this a HIGH T Rating, or a LOW M, depending on your perspective. You have been warned.**

 **EXTRA 03/04 : First Kill [Chapter 26.75]**

 **-I'm calling this the chapter of torture and horror. No other way to say that.**

At first, he was just nervous. Soon, that was colliding with fear.

He called out for Toothless, but got no answer; Hiccup was in complete darkness, surrounded by a tense aura with silence.

Starting to get scared, he whimpered.

Half of him expected whoever was behind this to come out of no where, and finish him.

Another part, the more hopeful side, was that this was just a prank. A silly, harmless, but yet _utterly terrifying_ prank.

"Please... Whatever... Whoever... Is behind this... Please come out...!" He tried to sound brave, but the tone failed him, and he sounded more like a baby, useless Terrible Terror cornered by a furious, bloodthirsty Bewilderbeast... And he soon regretted making that comparison.

He didn't even realise just how traumatising that moment had been until then. Everything had just.. Kept his mind off it.

But now, scared, alone and confused in a pitch dark, silent room, all that fear was gushing in a like a freight train. And it was petrifying- _literally_. He was frozen in his place, shaking and whining. He was on the verge of tears. Without his defences up, the fear and horrors could finally enter, and dear gods, they _did_.

He was crying.

He was curled up in a shaking ball on the floor.

He was _screaming_ his lungs out.

"TOOTHLESS!" He shrieked between sobs, and suddenly, he heard footsteps. Even in his state, he knew they weren't human, or dragon.

Whimpering, he drew his head from where it was between his knees. "H-hello...?"

No voice answered him, just more footsteps, and more, and more... Until they stopped. Something hit on the ground, sounding a lot like metal.

A rush of fear seeped into his veins, as a loud, sickening gurgle echoed in the room.

Gulping, he searched for his voice... And _tried_ to scream.

Only a silent gasp escaped him, as a cold, wrinkly, bony hand closed around his neck, squeezing with the force and ferocity that put a God to shame.

He tried to scream, he really did try; but whoever, or whatever this was, was just too strong. The hand's sharp, freezing nails, that could be considered claws for all he knew, dug into his skin, drawing blood easily. Pain was flowing through him at a rapid speed, but he held his own rather well for the situation.

That horrible sound rang in his ears again, and it brought most of him back to his senses.

Not willing to die without putting up a fight, he thrashed, and pretty much got no where. The creature tilted his head backwards, still holding his neck cruelly, into a very painful position, which made him lean back and his wings brush the floor.

A yelp escaped him, as pain exploded in his chest, a force hitting it. Suddenly, he was punched again, and he tried to scream, but his neck was still locked in position.

One punch, soon turned into another. He was starting to black out from pain, and the lack of oxygen getting to his brain; he was losing to a fight, with someone he couldn't see, and didn't know at all.

He swished his tail around weakly, lashing out in a attempt to hit this man, this _monster_ , whatever it was. He hit nothing, just air. Another punch landed to his stomach, making him want to puke, or at least cry out in agony, but there was no way that either would happen, thanks to a certain hand around his throat.

Just as he was about to pass out, the grip suddenly stopped, and the hand completely let go.

Relief and pain exploding within him, he couldn't help but fall forward, his forehead just above the carpet. For a split second, everything just flashed red and blue, and only then did he begin gasping for air.

Crying and gasping, violent shudders were raging in his body. He had felt pain more than once in his life- most of those had been stab wounds... Not like this.

He was in _pitch, complete darkness_.

 _Being TORTURED_.

If that didn't scream pure terror, he didn't know what did. He whimpered and cried, not even caring if it did him worse.

And to his chagrin, it DID.

Blindness took him for a moment, as a fist collided with his chin, and he howled. He cried, as two more punches were delivered, right in his chest. Once again, the wind was knocked right out of him, and so easily. One could say it was like candy being stolen from a baby. He was powerless to stop this endless agony, this terrifying mystery in the dark.

A loud, menacing hiss rang through the air, and he suddenly felt a sharp hand grab his chin roughly, lifting his head.

" _Greetin_ gs, Dragon Rider." The light was lit, revealing the face of the monster who would go on to haunt his dreams for years and years to come.

AND HE SCREAMED.

He screamed until his lungs were screaming too, and terror had taken control of every last emotion in his very being.

The face, lit by a scary red candle, was definitely NOT human, but it still held the structure. It's skin was a deathly, pale white, with white-grey hair, that looked thin, dry and greasy. It had pupil-less, blood red narrow eyes, and its grinning mouth was full of razor sharp teeth, probably designed to tear their victims, also known as him, into chunks and pieces caked in blood and guts. Its nose and jawline were sharp, angular, and it had long, pointy ears.

Laughing in a high pitched, maniacal shriek, it pulled its head back, and Hiccup only continued to scream, his knees against his chest and wings spread in terror.

Every alarm in his mind was blaring, bright red to their ultimate limit.

The fear was so strong, he could barely process what was in front of him. The horrifying, evil demon-face before him.

Not long after, the creature must have gotten annoyed, or sick of his screaming. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" This was said in a single, menacing voice, just before a painful blow to his leg, in front of his face, hit home, and Hiccup was sure he heard something snap. Pain only answered his question, but the creature got its way when his screams turned into whines and whimpers.

"Pl-please... Pleas... Sto... Stop..." Hiccup was begging, and he knew it. The monster laughed, punching him again, this time to his other leg. It didn't break like the other, but it did send burning pain into him again, for the umpteenth time.

"Stopppp?" The creature hissed, its white skin glowing red in the unnatural light. "NEVER..."

It punched him again, this time to the skull- his vision danced, and he hit the floor.

Blackness was trying to take him, and was ripped away.

He was lifted into the air by a hand around his neck, and he tried to scream; no, not this- not this again!

"Please..!" He cried between gasps, trying to get the air before it was torn away again.

He was met with silence, and multiple hits to the stomach. It never seemed to end, and every time he was about to be taken into unconscious bliss, the creature just slapped him awake.

Blood was on the creature's fist, and Hiccup had a feeling that his chest was purple now.

And he hit the floor. Opening his eyes weakly, he looked up, scared. The creature stood over him,

glaring at him. Only his face and neck were visible, but he was high up. The height of a man...

With a moan, he tried to get up on his knees to back away...

Too late.

Pinning the young Shur'tugal down, pressing its bony hands on his back, it screeched, loud and sharp, in his ear.

Hiccup could barely hear his own screams, even when it lowered to a low scream rather than a ear-piercing weapon of sound. He cried even harder, and wondered if anyone even knew what was happening.

Before he could dwell on that, however, the monster, man-creature thing, stepped back, laughing, before the candle blew out, leaving him once again enveloped by darkness.

He opened his mouth to talk, but could find no words. He felt sheer terror creep into him, wholly by the fact he didn't know what was next. He could hear movement, undoubtedly the creature, but it sounded like there were more of them... Which was more and more believable, as multiple grunts, growls, high-pitched snarls, and gurgles passed through the room like wildfire.

Deciding it was worth a shot, he got up on his knees, and tried to back up... The balcony was there, maybe he could get away...

Pain shot through him.

Crashing on his side, he screamed until his throat burned.

Laughter answered him. Suddenly, he was yanked backwards by his hair, and with a yelp, he was thrown onto the ground, stained with droplets of his blood.

But droplets weren't enough for his torturers.

He heard the sound before anything else; the unsheathing of a knife from the place it rested on a belt.

Then, cold, large fists pushed him down to the ground, bent painfully over his knees in a submissive position. Feet stepped on his spread wings, pinning them to the ground, leaving them useless as the rest of him. His shirt was ripped free, exposing the skin covering his shoulders and front.

He was completely immobile.

He was utterly and completely powerless to fight back.

A sick laugh entered his hearing, and then, the bony hand of the creature laid in between his wing-blades, the wrinkly skin cold and oily against his bare skin, shivering from the cold, pure terror, and pain.

Without a single warning, a evil phrase, or even just a _word_ , to signify his next action, the creature lowered the weapon to his skin, the cold blade of the knife just quietly resting on his shoulder. A _whole_ second passed, before he dug in lightly, dragging the blade slowly across his skin, leaving a wound behind. Blood dripped over his shoulder, sliding onto his wing shoulder, as Hiccup groaned, trying to bite the pain away in his tongue. The creature repeated the process multiple times, so much that Hiccup couldn't keep track.

When the man suddenly paused, he wondered what was happening. In the back of hid mind, the last trace of hope he had in him said the man was done.

Oh, how he was _wrong._

He received no mercy, as he screamed out loud, when the next was placed, right between his wing-blades. It must have gone through a muscle, or some nerves of a sort, because he had NO control at all of the reaction. His whole body shook with agony.

It must have been intentional, because the creature laughed in a way that just sounded knowing, and a hand crept over his neck, tracing a line over his collar bone.

Shivering at the touch, Hiccup whimpered. He didn't like people getting this close.

Moving away, the creature stepped back in the darkness. With a pathetic whine, Hiccup was pushed onto his back, head held down to the ground, his wings being held tightly by strong, cold hands he didn't know the owners of, and his tail being pinned down at the mid-way mark by a heavy iron thing, almost like a weight or shackle.

Suddenly, the creature's hand was resting on the side of his face, as the hand around his neck loosened slightly. He gulped, as the sharp nails stroked his cheek, creating pain as they went up and down, but never drawing blood.

The hand continued to stroke his face, while the other appeared to have the knife; he felt the cold blade slide over his skin in two, long diagonal cuts, much deeper than the ones on his shoulders.

He moaned and cried, and when the knife finally lifted off his chest, he felt all the new pain come rushing in like a river out of control. With a whimper, he begged the creature silently to just stop. Stop this torture that he didn't deserve, from what he knew.

He couldn't even see his torturers, either, which made everything even worse.

Suddenly, he was yanked up, thick, muscular and oily arms that made Stoick's look like nothing, and forced into a standing position. Because his leg was broken, or fractured in some way, he couldn't, but that didn't really matter to them. A moment later, his wings were grabbed brutally, yanked backwards. His wing-shoulders were pulled way back, pulling muscles on the way to extreme agony.

The sound of pain was one he had become very familiar with the last few hours of his life. When hearing stories, torture sounded bad. In real life, it was fucking terrifying.

He saw it, and it made his heart stop cold.

HOLY. _FUCK_.

The creature smiled, eyeing the tool in his hand. He held it by the rubber handle, to avoid his hand getting burned by the smouldering hot iron. He writhed and thrashed in the arm's restraints, and opened his mouth to scream, just as a thick, metal collar clasped around his neck, and his wings were bound together by some metal thing.

He couldn't move. He couldn't do anything. He wasn't even looking at the creature, or the others behind him, or the two massive beast-human things holding him under his arms.

The iron pressed onto his chest, over his heart.

Until that point, Hiccup had NEVER, EVER, screamed so LOUD, or in SHEER AGONY, as he did.

He screamed.

And he continued to scream, long after the deed was done, and the iron was pulled away.

With a sick, toothy, twisted grin, it grabbed out a long, black knife that looked sharper than a Razorwhip's spine.

As if the monster knew what Hiccup was thinking, the creature slid it over his own palm lightly, drawing a single drop of black-purple blood.

And a split second later, he threw it. No warnings from this bitch.

It landed right into his chest, and Hiccup screamed out his lungs. The creature only grinned wider, and picked up another knife. Hiccup moaned, blood seeping out the wound to streak down his chest.

One knife. Two knives. Three knives.

It was only on the fourth, that Hiccup had given up. He couldn't, he just couldn't hold on any longer...

He hung his head, closing his eyes slowly...

And froze.

Everything seemed to stop. He looked up, and immediately felt like he was about to witness a massacre...

Because Toothless was standing there, eyes _glowing_ bright green, as blue flames escaped the corners of his mouth. His teeth were bared in the most menacing snarl he'd ever seen from any dragon, and the dragon's wings were spread. His claws seemed to be even longer and sharper... And his expression was one Hiccup didn't need to be told to recognise.

With a loud, terrifying screech, Toothless pounced.

He landed on the creature, and wasted no time. Rising up on his hind legs, he literally tore the creature apart; he raked his claws down the body, from shoulder to foot, practically leaving the monster in ribbons as it screamed in sheer agony. But his dragon wasn't done yet. It reached down, viciously tearing out every organ imaginable. Blood and guts were flying and caking his face, and the other creatures were trying to run.

Toothless wasn't having of that bull-shit.

With a savage roar, he quickly pushed down on the creature's neck, promptly causing the brain to explode out its skull.

YOU SHALL BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE! Toothless howled, as he took the time to kill each creature, just as mercilessly and brutally as the last. Hiccup somehow was conscious for the whole ordeal, watching as a massacre played out before his very eyes.

Suddenly, being called 'the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself' held new levels of meaning.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N:** So yes, some might be wondering what's going on here, and well, I personally say that's understandable.

These EXTRA chapters are simply to fill in some holes, and keep readers in touch. Also, just randomly, my new A/N layout is this. I kinda like it better; it's easier to read, and understand, in a way.

Also, anyone who might have read the TIW One-Shot, 'Birthday Leap', will probably notice the dramatic character change in Aurora, regarding her dialogue; from my perspective, the one line (I believe it's literally one line) she says makes in _Birthday Leap_ her appear to be a complete, utter snob. While here, she is more motherly and compassionate, even to the stage of calling Hiccup, who she hasn't even known for all that long, 'dear', and 'hatchling'.

For those nit-picky kinds of people, see it like this. While young, she has a mature type of nature, being a dragon, which also aids her confidence within saying things; not a lot of people with a brain has the courage to disagree with a huge, fire breathing reptile. She is comfortable just being affectionate, and there isn't really any big meaning behind the nicknames other than 'I care about you', so... Also, I should probably mention, before she met Silus, she actually was in a situation where she was a motherly figure, so to speak, and she has played the role of a dragon babysitter.

I can't really give any other explanation, other than this; EARLY DEVELOPMENT. Most of you should be quite familiar with this term, but, for those who don't, here's the complete summary- the creator is still working out the kinks- so basically, brain storming and deciding on whatever is being developed.

But yeah, you already saw the notices, so I'll just say this... (If you read them, I dunno- let me put down a list of brief things for those who don't.)

Last thing, this A/N will be featured on every one of these EXTRAS, which will be distributed on random times and dates, so if you are a downright amazing follower or reader, who eats up any TIW content by me, my recommendation is to be sure to keep an eye out, and be sure to grab an extra cookie on the way out. ;)

 **RUN DOWN OF NOTICES FOR THOSE WHO DIDN'T READ THEM AT THE START:**

- **NEW TIW FORUM IS UP!**

 **-THERE ARE FOUR OF THESE, IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY DONE YOUR MATH.**

 **-RELEASE DATE OF PART TWO PROLOGUE IS DOWN BELOW!**

 **-TAKING REQUESTS!**

 **-I AM A BETA-READER, AND HAVE A APPRENTICE, DARKSCALE WOLFLOVERBOY!**

 **-ONE AND TWO SHOTS SET IN THIS AU ARE COMING IN MASSIVE WAVES!**

 **-DO MY FREAKING POLL, OR ELSE TIW STOPS FOREVER! (XD, JUST KIDDING, YOU DON'T HAVE TO, I'M JUST BEING A TROLL.)**

 **COMING (RELATIVELY) SOON:**

 **EXTRA 4/4: Death Rider**

 **This Is War - Part Two 'Over The Years'**

 **Prologue-**

 **'Forces to be Feared'**

 **Estimated Release Date: 7/8th of May**

DRAGONITES UNITE! XD, I feel like a business lady... X_X

 **-Crystallion12**


	31. Extra 4 of 4- Death Rider- 26:99

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **SUMMARY –** **They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **NOTICES:**

 **(First one is about Poll, Fourth is about the new Forum.)**

 **-There is a Poll on my Profile Page, and it'll mean a LOT to me if you vote. Basically, it consists of fifteen story concepts, including rating, genres and setting (some don't have them confirmed) No idea how it'll work... Just vote. You get THREE votes!**

 **-Upcoming TIW One-Shots: Morning Star - Evening Star – I Thought I Lost You – If Only You Knew – The Brother I Never Had – Hello Bad Boy – TBN (to be named) – Shadows – Torn Away – A Slightly Different Turn of Events – It's NOT Round – When The Angels Scream . If any of these you would like to see before any others, feel free to let me know.**

 **-I am now a Beta-Reader! If you are interested at all, PM me, and I hope I can sort something out for you. ;)**

 **-Should you have a request for me to write, I will do it. Thought I should just address that- if it is something to do with TIW or RoS AU, it is more likely to be done quicker- also, stay within reason, because I don't do M rated stuff, PERIOD, unless that rating is for violence. **

**-THERE IS NOW A FORUM FOR 'THIS IS WAR'!**

 **It is called 'This Is War- AU.'**

 **On it, I will share news, One Shots and story information, and perhaps some Sneak Peaks, regarding the entire TIW AU. Any questions you have, can be answered there. ;)**

 **-There will be four of these, updated on random times, so keep an eye out! Thank you for your love and dedication!**

 **-If you are wondering, the release date of the Part Two Prologue is at the end of the A/N!**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 **Sorry guys, no ShoutOuts until the official stuff.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **This Is War**

 **Extra Chapters (Deleted Scenes, if you will; concepts that didn't make the cut.)**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **EXTRA 04/04 : Death Rider [Chapter 26.99]**

 **(Apologies for being so late, and crappy...)**

Silus blinked blearily to the sound of chaos- never a good first sign. With a groan, he attempted to roll over onto his side, and stopped, as strong arms grabbed him.

"Ugghh... Wha..t... hap... happened...?" He whispered, spotting flames in the far corner.

The arms loosened their grip, and a Humanblaka appeared above him, a concerned expression on his face. He shouted something to another. "Hey, can you hear me?" He asked Silus moments later, who nodded weakly. "Good, good... How many fingers am I holding up?"

Silus moaned softly. His vision was rather blurry, and the smoke was getting to his head... "Umm... More than two?"

The man eyed his own fingers, which was four. He sighed in defeat, deciding that the healers would deal with the shenanigans. "Close enough..." He muttered. He raised his voice to the others. "Okay, guys, let's get them out of here! Call in the medical teams!"

"Aurora...?" He asked weakly, searching around for his dragon.

Picking him up in his arms, the Humanblaka hushed him gently. "She's fine, just relax. You took quite the blow to the head."

Silus didn't answer, as he slipped into unconsciousness, warmly welcoming the darkness.

Oo-oOo-oO

Laid in his bed, out cold, Hiccup looked utterly helpless and beat. Which was honestly and truly a valid way to explain his current situation.

Toothless' head was set down on the side of his rider's bed, watching Hiccup for any evidence of waking up, or a change in condition. The Skulblaka had refused to sleep since the incident, and had allowed very few to enter their Quarters, now cleaned up, looking as if it all had never happened. Sometimes a healer would enter, and Toothless would just be on the cautious side, but generally, only Silus, Aurora, Aloysius, and Crimseara could enter without a hitch. Any other riders and their dragons he considered a current threat.

 _Oh, Little One... What have you gotten yourself into_? He gently tapped Hiccup's sleeping mind, silently wishing his human would awaken from this troublesome rest. He looked at his claws thoughtfully. _Now that I think about it... What have WE gotten ourselves into..._?

Sighing, he closed his eyes slowly, loosening the tension in his body to rest himself. While not necessarily sleeping, even he admitted he needed to take a break, or else he'd be no better than his beloved rider.

To him, Hiccup was _everything_. He was beautiful, wonderful, kind, smart, but yet strong- everything he just didn't see. Sometimes, Toothless just wanted to pound some _sense_ into him when he wasn't the brightest, but that was aside the point... No matter what, he would _always_ love _his_ little one. And it was more than just being dragon and rider for life; no, it was more. He wasn't sure what it was, but nothing felt casual or at normal standards.

And then, a miracle happened.

Hiccup stirred, moaning lowly as his brow twitched. Toothless' breath was caught in his throat, his heart racing. A minute later, Hiccup groaned, and tiredly blinked, his movements sluggish and breathing some what laboured.

 _Ey... B... Bud..._ He murmured in Toothless' mind, and that was all it took.

Yapping and warbling for joy, he bounced around the room, probably knocking other some things and also quite possibly hitting the bed with his tail.

 _Okay, I get it... You're excit... ted... Why...?_ Hiccup tried to sit up, but immediately regretted it, and settled back down. Toothless' ear plates flattened in self-blaming, how could he have done that? With a shake of the head and a snort, he padded back to the bed's side, seating himself and curling his tail around his paws.

He crooned softly, lowering his neck so Hiccup could reach up with his arms and place his hands on the underside of his head, gently stroking the soft, tiny and flat black scales that weren't visible to the naked eye.

 _You've been out cold for nearly two weeks now, I... I was worried, Little One. They were saying that you might not make it, and... I was afraid you'd die... And leave me again_... Toothless' pupils widened, and he let out a remorseful whine.

Sighing, Hiccup leaned his head back slightly against the pillow. He rubbed little circles along Toothless' strong jaw, smiling faintly when Toothless couldn't resist a delighted purr.

 _Well, I'm here and alive now, am I not? Maybe a little... Uhh... Traumatised... But still, I'm here_.

Toothless nodded quietly, watching as a frightened, lost look filled Hiccup's eyes. The young man's expression had dropped.

Quietly, moved his arms away, rubbing them along the jaw towards his chin, tapping his snout with a finger lightly before letting both arms fall, landing on the bed. _Yeah... that was... pretty scary... I won't lie_... Shivering involuntarily, he closed his eyes, wanting the memories, while faint and mostly vague, to go away. _It hurts, Bud, it still does... What even... Why can't I move..._?

Toothless cooed quietly.

 _That'll be drugs they gave you... They didn't want you to move aggressively, should you cause harm to yourself._..

He whimpered quietly, a very non-threatening, and depressing sound. _It was horrible, what they did... There was so much blood, and oh, just, I can't_... His expression mixed with a type of vengeful fury. _I swear, if I ever get my claws on those fucking Dwarves..._

 _Dwarves_? Hiccup asked, with a frown. Deep down, he hoped this might let him forget the pain for a moment, no matter how long or short it was.

 _Well_... Toothless said, almost awkwardly. _It wasn't dwarves that did it, they were just behind it_.

Hiccup blinked. That translated into confusion for him. With a sigh, Toothless explained the best he could. _The ones who... Attacked... You, were Dark Elves, from Svartalfheim. From what we can tell, they were informed, and charged to kill you by a group of Dwarves on Nidavellir. And that's all we really have In our heads. That, and the fact that everyone's calling you 'Death Rider' now..._ As Hiccup ran his tired mind over the details, and snorted slightly at the new nickname, Toothless hummed affectionately, moving to the side to grab out a extra pillow. With some effort, he slipped it under the Shur'tugal's head with a soft croon. _But all that shit shouldn't concern you right now- you need to rest_.

Chuckling softly, Hiccup rested one hand on Toothless' scaly snout, scratching behind his right nostril. Toothless made some faint purring sounds, and his paw scratched his flank on instinct, as a dog would.

 _You know, Bud, I never imagined you to have such a wide vocabulary range_... Hiccup mused, his emerald eyes sparkling ever so slightly. _It seems as if you're a natural at the art_.

 _Why, thank you, Little One. I do take deep pride in my colourful words. I do, I really do... Now, off to sleep with you. I'll go get Alois and Silus, okay?_ Hiccup nodded, yawning as he buried his face into the pillows. _Alright then... Stay here, Little One. And remember, if anything happens, scream as LOUD as HUMANELY POSSIBLE. Anyone who dares touch you will have a particular set of jaws to answer to_...

Toothless winked playfully, and turned tail towards the doors out of the Bedroom. Hiccup giggled, snuggling into the bed.

Soon, sleep overtook him, enveloping the rider in restless darkness.

Oo-oOo-oO

 _-2 months, 8 days later-_

Hiccup sighed, laying back in the saddle placed on his dragon's back. He looked at his hand, watching the sunlight reflect off it as he turned and flexed the limb. Underneath him, Toothless warbled, tilting his head to look at his rider. Ever since his transformation, he'd been forced to do that, rather than just looking back at him...

 _Hiccup? Little One, get your head out the clouds, will you_? He asked. Hiccup smirked, gripping on with his knees, before falling on his side.

His head got hit straight-on with cloud, and he cheekily giggled.

 _Ugh_. Bringing his paw up, Toothless slapped it over his snout, growling quietly in annoyance. _Get out of the clouds, LITERALLY_.

 _Okay, okay, fine. I WILL. Mr-Bossy-no-good-overgrown-lizard_...

Hiccup shook briefly, wincing when his stomach ached slightly. His black dragon cooed in concern, before calming, and meeting his rider's gaze. A moment later, he sighed heavily, turning his attention back to flying. They soared over the tall mountains, the chilly winds nipping gently at his skin and Toothless' large wings.

"I'm not all that keen on this whole 'apology' thing... I mean, it's _dwarves_. That just screams bad."

Hiccup rumbled softly, turning his head on side to look at Silus, riding upon Aurora, flying abreast Toothless. "Um, do you even know... What a dwarf is?" Hiccup asked, and Silus promptly shrugged.

Face-palming, he grumbled a line of curses under his breath, receiving a amused look from Toothless, before racking his brain for knowledge to share. "Well, I may not be an expert, but basically, from what I know about them, they're small, short humanoids, who are almost exactly like humans. They have existed since the beginning of time itself, according to myths, and were one of the long-lasting races of Alagaesia, before they moved."

"Huh... Well... That doesn't change much, in my opinion, you know...? Just saying..." Silus sighed, face-planting into the saddle from sheer exasperation. "That did NOT justify me, did it...? Nope. Didn't think so..."

Hiccup chuckled lightly, leaning forward to pet the side of his thick, strong neck. "Well, I say we just go with it all."

Oo-oOo-oO

Walking among the crowd, Hiccup twisted his head from left to right, his bright green eyes scanning the thick mass of Dwarves.

Many gave him respectful nods, apologies, and comments as he passed them, and in response he smiled, although some felt more forced than anything. No dwarf didn't notice his presence, because, well, it was pretty hard to. Behind him, the dwarves parted, as his large Skulblaka followed, swishing his tail gently and passing gentle snorts to his observers, their eyes wide and full of shining awe, admiration, slight disbelief, and pure respect. He eventually caught up with his rider, giving him a soft push in the back to alert the young Humanblaka.

 _I don't know where to go, Bud_. Hiccup said, frowning. He scratched his neck absent-mindedly, and his wings fanned, before they flexed back, extending slightly towards the roof, before folding, the wing claws gently resting just above his hip on either side.He folded the lower part against his back comfortably, feeling the bone-tips gently brush over his spine. Apparently, as Humanblakas matured, the tips slowly grew small hooks, and they would hook onto the spine on instinct when folded, which also helped them balance more.

 _Silus is near impossible to find in large crowds, and hell, does it piss me off._ Hiccup promptly stood back, and decided to escape the crowd a bit. He swung himself onto Toothless' bare back, seating himself between the dragon's shoulders, and holding on with his knees and by the spine in front of him.

Toothless hummed, continuing to walk. Dwarves cleared his path, and Hiccup searched for his friends upon his dragon's back. Now, you would think this would be easy. But it wasn't. _I'm not absolutely sure if he's even in here, Hiccup._

 _Well, if he's not in HERE, where is he?_

Hiccup felt his dragon's powerful movements as he was shifted too, and with a twitch of discomfort, he gripped on tighter with his knees. _What about Aurora? Wouldn't they have told us before leaving?_

 _Maybe they just went out for some fresh air... I know I would._

He purred lightly, as another overwhelming waft of beer overcame his nose. _And I gladly would right now..._ Toothless snorted, not even waiting for an answer before turning around, heading for the doors.

Not objecting, Hiccup eyed the crowds as they left, walking out into a long, torch-lit hallway, surrounded by stone walls. Toothless set off at a calm pace, trotting for the exit to the outside world.

They found the two out on the ledge, sat down and gazing at the night sky silently.

Hiccup crooned quietly, and hesitantly walked his way over, slowly going into a calmed sitting position beside his friend.

Silus acknowledged their presence with a soft growl. "Hey... What's up?"

"Eh, not much..." Silus said quietly, looking at his tail for no valid reason. "I'm not very fond of large crowds, or parties, that's all..."

Hiccup tentatively leaned forward, and rested his head on the younger man's lap. Warbling in surprise, Silus flinched at first, before cautiously reaching to stroke the side of his neck. A faint scar rested just above his collarbone, from the time Hiccup had flown, not long before he had arrived- he had crashed into the ground from a few feet, nothing too much, but it had left a rather deep gash. It was a weird gesture, but then again, they were dragon-winged and tailed humans, you didn't get much more weird than that...

The rider purred gently at the touch, and quietly shuffled towards him, growling playfully. He rolled onto his back, bringing up one arm and batting at Silus' nose affectionately. The teen chuckled, and nuzzled his neck, braving to grab him in his arms.

Giggling quietly, Hiccup squirmed a bit, and his tail flopped against the stone repeatedly, wagging like a overexcited puppy.

"Oh, Hiccup, your so silly..." Silus murmured, and batted at Hiccup's hand with his own, growling when the older rider managed to pin it down against his left shoulder. Sighing, Silus flopped, grinning despite losing the little game. Hiccup huffed proudly, his tail flicking upwards and wings straightening. "...And prideful, and immature."

"Hey!" He thwacked Silus' long tail with his own, making sure the spines were pressed flat against the tail safely. He didn't want to hurt his friend.

Silus chuckled, his sea blue eyes shining brightly in the night. For a long moment, Hiccup just stared fondly, listening slightly as the dragons groomed one another, or, 'sharing tongues' as they called it, occasionally warbling or cooing something to the other.

"I've never seen you like this..." Hiccup murmured.

He leaned further into Silus, opening his eyes to look back up at a somewhat confused face. "You've never been this happy or relaxed before..."

Silus looked down, and smiled faintly. "And _I've_ never seen YOU so playful or laid-back."

Hiccup's sudden interest in pouncing on his shoe laces only backed that statement up, as the amused protests of one rider being chased by a immature Death Rider rang out across the mountain ranges...

...Okay, he wasn't all that terrifying in his younger years.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **A/N:** So yes, some might be wondering what's going on here, and well, I personally say that's understandable.

These EXTRA chapters are simply to fill in some holes, and keep readers in touch. Also, just randomly, my new A/N layout is this. I kinda like it better; it's easier to read, and understand, in a way.

Also, anyone who might have read the TIW One-Shot, 'Birthday Leap', will probably notice the dramatic character change in Aurora, regarding her dialogue; from my perspective, the one line (I believe it's literally one line) she says makes in _Birthday Leap_ her appear to be a complete, utter snob. While here, she is more motherly and compassionate, even to the stage of calling Hiccup, who she hasn't even known for all that long, 'dear', and 'hatchling'.

For those nit-picky kinds of people, see it like this. While young, she has a mature type of nature, being a dragon, which also aids her confidence within saying things; not a lot of people with a brain has the courage to disagree with a huge, fire breathing reptile. She is comfortable just being affectionate, and there isn't really any big meaning behind the nicknames other than 'I care about you', so... Also, I should probably mention, before she met Silus, she actually was in a situation where she was a motherly figure, so to speak, and she has played the role of a dragon babysitter.

I can't really give any other explanation, other than this; EARLY DEVELOPMENT. Most of you should be quite familiar with this term, but, for those who don't, here's the complete summary- the creator is still working out the kinks- so basically, brain storming and deciding on whatever is being developed.

But yeah, you already saw the notices, so I'll just say this... (If you read them, I dunno- let me put down a list of brief things for those who don't.)

Last thing, this A/N will be featured on every one of these EXTRAS, which will be distributed on random times and dates, so if you are a downright amazing follower or reader, who eats up any TIW content by me, my recommendation is to be sure to keep an eye out, and be sure to grab an extra cookie on the way out. ;)

 **RUN DOWN OF NOTICES FOR THOSE WHO DIDN'T READ THEM AT THE START:**

- **NEW TIW FORUM IS UP!**

 **-THERE ARE FOUR OF THESE, IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY DONE YOUR MATH.**

 **-RELEASE DATE OF PART TWO PROLOGUE IS DOWN BELOW!**

 **-TAKING REQUESTS!**

 **-I AM A BETA-READER, AND HAVE A APPRENTICE, DARKSCALE WOLFLOVERBOY!**

 **-ONE AND TWO SHOTS SET IN THIS AU ARE COMING IN MASSIVE WAVES!**

 **-DO MY FREAKING POLL, OR ELSE TIW STOPS FOREVER! (XD, JUST KIDDING, YOU DON'T HAVE TO, I'M JUST BEING A TROLL.)**

 **COMING (RELATIVELY) SOON:**

 **This Is War - Part Two 'Over The Years'**

 **Prologue-**

 **'Forces to be Feared'**

 **Estimated Release Date: 7/8th of May**

DRAGONITES UNITE! XD, I feel like a business lady... X_X

 **-Crystallion12**


	32. Prologue Part 2- Forces to be Feared-C27

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **SUMMARY –** **They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **NOTICES:**

 **(First one is about Poll, Fourth is about the new Forum.)**

 **-There is a Poll on my Profile Page, and it'll mean a LOT to me if you vote. Basically, it consists of fifteen story concepts, including rating, genres and setting (some don't have them confirmed) No idea how it'll work... Just vote. You get THREE votes!**

 **-I am now a Beta-Reader! If you are interested at all, PM me, and I hope I can sort something out for you. ;)**

 **-Should you have a request for me to write, I will do it. Thought I should just address that- if it is something to do with TIW or RoS AU, it is more likely to be done quicker- also, stay within reason, because I don't do M rated stuff, PERIOD, unless that rating is for violence. **

**-THERE IS NOW A FORUM FOR 'THIS IS WAR'!**

 **It is called 'This Is War- AU.'**

 **On it, I will share news, One Shots and story information, and perhaps some Sneak Peaks, regarding the entire TIW AU. Any questions you have, can be answered there. ;)**

 **-The last EXTRA will be up hopefully in a day or so.**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 **Sorry guys, no ShoutOuts until the next chappy.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **This Is War**

 **Part Two Prologue**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 27: Forces to be Feared [Part Two Prologue]**

 **-Midgard, Barbaric Archipelago, West Ocean of Eel Island, Western Nest of the Green Death, Sunset.**

A green-pink Deadly Nadder chirped, chortling when her hatchling jumped on her back, happily squeaking. The mother rumbled softly, gently picking up her other two babies by their napes and dropping them on her back.

'Mer, doora irel skura lillven nita?' One hatchling, a pink-green girl, asked in Dragonese, as she clamped her jaws firmly around the dragoness' spine for grip.

She looked back at the expectant faces lovingly. 'Gala brightorb eraz vaka nega-' She explained.

'-Xera xeraz vela coraqui.' She finished, and soon, karma struck her hard, and was the cause for her entire nest's downfall.

As she spread her wings to fly back to their home, a loud, ear-splitting shriek tore through the air. Squawking in terror, she hurried towards the nearest cave, hiding her frightened hatchlings in her wings.

Watching from the sea-stacks and ledges of the extinct volcano they called home, many dragons were perched, hissing and snapping at the disturbance.

 _Thud_.

The dragons shivered, spreading the wings and baring their fangs, and they waited for it to come...

 _THUD._

...About an hour later, they received their worst fear. A huge, menacing roar shook the ocean, as a enormous, glittering blood red dragon dived out the clouds, its eyes blazing in fury. Shrieking in terror, they scattered in every direction possible, eventually creating a swirl of colours around the peak of the mountain, to try and wake their slumbering King.

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **-Midgard, Barbaric Archipelago, West Ocean of Eel Island, Western Nest of the Green Death, Nighttime.**

Queen Scarlet watched the pathetic creatures fly around their nest's peak, desperately trying to do the 'Subject's Call'.

And they were failing miserably, so much so that it was rather amusing.

The dragons were meant to circle the peak of the nest, usually being a mountain, while vibrating a strange humming, and occasionally, a few would swoop down into the mountain top, screeching. The movements would wake and alarm their slumbering ruler, who would be told of the situation through a dragon's mind.

However, despite their awful performance of the ancient practice, it apparently worked. A thunderous roar erupted from the volcano, (lol, that was a semi-pun) and the dragons screeched and howled their relief.

She sighed. Well, if that's the way he wanted it, she didn't mind spilling a _little_ blood...

Was simply, cleanly snapping necks out of fashion, as of this era?

Queen Scarlet really needed an update...

The dragons scattered slightly, perching on sea-stacks, huddling up in caves, as their leader emerged, well beyond furious.

A four-clawed paw reached out the top, slamming down on the side of the mountain, as the beast pulled it's torso out, roaring at her. Eyes narrowed, the Green Death, his underbelly a faded red, shrieked, creating a downpour of rocks and rubble, as it left the confines of its nest, standing in the water. As she roared her challenge, his six pupils seemed to only thin even more. 'Takacree shal! Takacree, skura sxrixelor, miseri draegon leka flaro! Teral farwy, vul skree helok!'

Scarlet hissed in response, roaring defiantly.

She raised a paw, her dark-pink-red, smooth palm facing the sky, as she beckoned him closer, opening and closing her talons, the golden claws unsheathed.

With a roar that sounded way too confident in her opinion, the massive beast charged her, claws outstretched and teeth bared. She snorted a puff of hot air, crouching down, watching his movements.

As he neared her, the Green Death pounced, and she rolled her eyes.

She stepped to the side, watching with amusement as he roared furiously, crashing into the water she had stood in mere moments ago. He landed heavy on his front paws, and stumbled once, before turning around. His movements caused massive waves to crash against rocks and his sides. Scarlet snarled in displeasure as the water chopped against her fine, lean legs, and she decided to give this menace some of it back.

And just in time, too. He had grown sick and tired of physical attacks already, so why not just burn this intruding, overgrown, flying fire lizard to ashes?

She swished her strong tail in the water, whipping it around so the waves hit him, straight in the face. Howling in fury, the water filled his open jaws and slid down his throat, quickly dissipating the flames in his mouth about to be used. Batting at his snout with his large forepaws, the remaining gas in his mouth collided with the salty ocean water, and in response to that, it become a icky, gooey liquid, sticking to the back of his throat, and threatening to make him choke.

He suddenly felt claws rake, deep and blazing hot, across his thick neck, sending agony into his veins, and hot blood to fly with steam rising. Shakily, he raised a paw to touch the burnt wound, and with a low growl, turned his large head to face the dragon.

Her golden claws glowed, and with horror, he realised they were immune to her own fire... She was using her claws and fire at the same time...

To show just how effective it was, she struck again, this time across his snout, sinking deep into the melting scales and through the flesh. He roared, and rose up on his hind legs, lifting his left paw to swipe her. She dodged easily, and struck again, this straight across his paw as it missed. He howled in agony, stumbling backwards and almost falling. One paw in the air to avoid getting stung lethally by salty water, he bellowed his fury, and spread his wings to fly.

Queen Scarlet snarled viciously, grinning, as she shot a thin jet of blazing hot flame at him, hitting the right wing membrane on bulls-eye precision.

Burning straight through in a mere count of 3 seconds, full of torturous pain, the Green Death could barely scream from the genuine shock and pain. Smoke rose from his now half-existing wing, the jagged edges of the hole crispy and black. The blood red menace cackled with laughter. 'Turo teeka gathroc skutar leesa?' She asked mockingly, and crouched down.

Without warning or indication, she leaped, and using her gigantic size, knocked down the dragon, who was barely half her size, and closer to a third. As he fell roaring, she fastened her lethal jaws around his other wing.

Her teeth sank into the wing joint, cutting through the scales like butter, and sickly sweet blood filled her mouth. She purred softly, allowing it to just settle in her mouth for a bit, allowing the taste to overwhelm her taste buds.

She then grinned, eager to finish the job. She dug in further, gripping onto him using her paw on his stomach. She could feel his ribs breaking underneath, as her teeth reached bone. With a satisfied sigh, she savagely and firmly held on, as she arched her neck up...

He barely had time to look up at her, and see what was about to happen, before sheer agony filled him, and he screamed, which was a near impossible sound to hear from a Green Death.

...And ripped it off, blood literally spraying over the screaming dragon, and filling her mouth. Thin strings of muscle and tissue hung from the sides over her jaws, coated blood over crimson scales. If they weren't red enough before, they were now. She held the limp wing in her mouth, the blood dripping down the membrane.

Looking down upon her victim, her expression turned satisfied and almost adoring. Her pupils dilated against the glowing yellow-orange, and her mouth was curled into a sweet smile. Never mind the blood dripping from her mouth.

He lay on his side, the water up to his shoulder. He whimpered, panting heavily as blood continuously flowed from his destroyed wing. The bone stuck painfully out, peaks of white against the fresh blood. He hissed at Scarlet, who simply sighed, and rose up on her hind legs, but not before dropping the wing, watching as it was submerged in water, sinking down to the ocean surface.

 _Such a pity_... She thought to her own mad self, fluttering her huge wings. Lifting her head, she felt droplets of blood slide down, dripping into the now red waters.

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **-Midgard, Barbaric Archipelago, West Ocean of Eel Island, Western Nest of the Green Death, Nighttime.**

Dragons everywhere were panicking, roaring, screeching and howling. Some had even been foolish enough to show themselves, bellowing furiously in their rage, or running around in circles in their horrific panic.

 _Oh well_. She thought, tauntingly tapping the bone sticking out of his wing join. He whimpered. _I would have loved to play with you longer, but I have much more important, Queen things to do_... She then raised her head to the skies, opened her maw, and roared loudly and eerily. Silence followed shortly after, and Scarlet smirked.

The Green Death's eyes widened, and he managed to bring his neck up off the ground, howling pathetically to his subjects to get away.

Scared out of their minds, the dragons continued to blindly panic for a while, before they saw the Dragon Queen spread her wings menacingly. She bared her bloody teeth to them, and hissed nastily, swishing her tail in the water.

 _ **BOW TO ME!**_ She howled, as dragons spread their wings, picked up their young, and tried to flee.

Deadly Nadders could be seen making wild dashes, normally brave and cocky Monstrous Nightmares screeching in pure terror, Gronckles flying much faster than their wings should be able to excel themselves.

Watching with amused eyes and malicious intent, she stretched out her mind's deadly grip, taking hold of several dragons at once.

Few resisted to her iron will, unable to fight back, and they knew It.

The Green Death watched, grief filling him, as each of his beloved subjects were conquered, turned into blind, brainwashed tools.

Queen Scarlet tilted her golden claws to the light of the volcano, the empty nest, as she sighed, almost disappointed. She finally looked him in the eye, lowering her crimson head to come to ground with him.

Unable to find the words in his slow death, he gave her a icy cold glare, which undoubtedly delivered a million colourful words to insult her.

Rolling her eyes, she rose up on her hind legs, and with a single strike, streaked her talons straight through his underbelly, leaving him screaming. The dragons, now her slaves, seemed to recognise their old ruler's cries through the blank, and whimpered and howled. Paying them no attention, she watched as the dragon's intestines piled out in a bloody, gory slop into the water. Dipping her paw in the water, she scooped some of it in her claws, feeling it squelch, before carelessly tipping it back in.

 ** _Come, my slaves..._ ** She hissed to the worthless maggots, almost in a sweet way. **_I have some torturing to do back home!_**

And as he took his last breath, the Green Death looked to the starry sky, and thought one thing...

 _..Save us, DragonBorn..._

He closed his eyes... _You have to... Or else we all die._

 **Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO**

 **Author's Note (A/N): Yeah, I know this is rather crappy, but hey, it was released on relative estimated time! I apologise for the shortness of this chapter, but it was my mum's birthday today, so I wasn't home for five hours in the evening, when I usually write a lot. So yeah... Sorry. This is the product of late night (as in, 4 AM) Crystal work. Maybe sometime I'll rewrite this for you guys, which does remind me, if you haven't already checked it out, the Part One Prologue got a bit of a make-over. ;)**

 **Thanks for the support and patience! May Part Two begin- OVER THE YEARS!**

 **LET THE FANGIRLINESS COMMENCE!**

 **-Crystallion12.**


	33. Part 2 Opener- Rumours From Far Away-C28

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **SUMMARY –** **They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **NOTICES:**

 **(First one is about Poll, Third one about upcoming One-Shots)**

 **-There is a Poll on my Profile Page, and it'll mean a LOT to me if you vote, if you haven't already done so.**

 **-We have a lot of TIW One-Shots coming, and even more than I said previously.**

 **-Check out the new TIW forum for news, information, and any questions you may have. It has been named 'This Is War- AU'. Thank you for your time.**

 **-I am now a Beta-Reader! If you are interested at all, PM me, and I hope I can sort something out for you. ;)**

 **-Should you have a request for me to write, I will do it. Thought I should just address that- if it is something to do with TIW or RoS AU, it is more likely to be done quicker- also, stay within reason, because I don't do M rated stuff, PERIOD, unless that rating is for violence/torture (physical, mind you)/blood and gore. **

**o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 _ **RUBYJEMS-**_ **Haha, yes, we shall... Just on a side note here, she has returned! Yay! Ah, it's great to be doing ShoutOuts again... *Contently sighs, grabs beach lounge from somewhere, leaning back with a nice glass bottle of amazing coke.* (Seriously though, coke from a glass bottle beats the heck out of regular... XD)**

 _ **aslan333-**_ **Firstly, I'd like to thank you for all the support you've given me, and the consistent reviews- as for your question, I'd prefer it if you ask them on the forum in the Q & A, but since it didn't exist back then... I'll say this; Relatively soon. Not this part, so it's not within the next ten chapters... You'd be surprised who is actually the first to reunite with Hiccup, too. ;)**

 _ **NicoBlast**_ **\- Thanks! Means a lot, and I hope you'll keep reading TIW... Actually, if you read this, then you probably did, so hey, thanks again! XP**

 _ **The Shadow Fright Dragon**_ **\- Haha, lol- Your reactions always manage to make me smile and laugh every time. I'll just respond to the latest review, and just say this; she's a BADDDDD dragon... And this is only hovering over the surface. Just wait until we get deeper into the AU as a whole...**

 **As always, thanks to every one of you- I love you all, and all your support and dedication is amazing!**

 **PS- All you guests out there, as long as you put a name of sorts in, I'll respond now, you know, make it fairer. ;)**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **This Is War**

 **Part Two – Over The Years**

 **Part Two Opener**

 **Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO**

 **Chapter 28: Rumours from Far Away**

 **-Open Seas of the Barbaric Archipelago, Midgard. Sunset, 3years-7months-9days after Hiccup's death.**

Johann sighed deeply, looking down on his map. It was that time of year again, when he had once visited the crown jewel of the Barbaric Archipelago. Three years had passed, and he had no intention of returning to Berk.

It wasn't the Berkians or dragons themselves, no, it was the thing that haunted the world- who, for some reason, did NOT want him reaching them.

The first time, he hadn't even been in that path, when it attacked. A huge black shadow, with glowing red eyes. Upon its back, a man in armour. The creature, as he had called it, was not exactly of any shape- it had kept fading in and out, preventing any viewer from seeing its true form. He had been sure it was a dragon at the time, but now, he wasn't really so sure.

Sagging with grief, as he remembered the horror that had also kept him from returning...

Hiccup.

The poor lad, the rider of his lovable Night Fury, had been such a significant part of Berk, and even when he threatened to cut his head off from his non-stop story telling, he had loved the boy strongly...

And without him, things just didn't feel right. A Berk without Hiccup just wasn't right. Nothing without him was right...

Sighing, he looked up, spotting his Terrible Terror perched on the ship mast. The little dragon, helping him as a lookout and companion, had most certainly been a more recent addition to his life, alongside his new apprentice. "Turan, we're heading off in a minute." Picking up a box from where it was lazily placed on the deck, he walked down the stairs, putting it with the others. He didn't think much of his usually loud and energetic apprentice's silence.

He put his hands on his hips, eyeing the neat assortment with approval... And froze. A deadly sharp, cold metal tip poked into the back if his neck, and from behind him, a deep, cold, menacing voice sounded.

"Turn around, drop your weapons, and hands in the air. _Slowly_."

Johann did as this scary person asked, if it even was a human. The build of the creature was definitely human, standing on two legs.

Folded against its back, were two huge dragon wings, black as night, and behind him curled around his feet was a long, scaly tail of the same shade. Razor sharp, silver-white spines were pressed against the top of the limb, as the end twitched to and fro in warning.

Clad in dark black armour from head to toe, it's voice was changed in a way that prevented the owner to reveal their gender or accent.

Its sword was long, scarily sharp to a point where it could probably slice him in half within three seconds, and looking as new as could be. The blade was black as his armour and wings, shiny and gleaming. The cross-guard had a similarity in design to a dragon, curled around the chrome-coloured handles. The pommel was made, once again, out of the chrome substance, with a glittering black diamond in the centre.

Trying not to stare at the unnatural sword pointed at his neck threateningly, he gulped, and asked politely. "M-may I.. I help... yo... you?" For a moment, the creature simply stood there, unflinching, before it slowly lowered its blade, instead resting it flat on his collarbone, as a genuine caution. It was no doubt- if he made a wrong move, that sword would kill him a split second- no matter where it hit him.

"I am ordered to deliver a message to you through my leader. Mine and my partner's existence MUST be kept a secret, unless I grant you permission..." It slid the sword down, resting the tip on his chest. "Sound good?"

"Uh huh... Promi- promise."

The creature never moved his sword, as he continued. "I need you to go to Berk, and begin spreading rumours of a huge black dragon called a Skulblaka, a war currently going on between godly beings, and a Shur'tugal, a dragon rider with wings, who is coming to end the fight. Fail to do this... And you will regret it."

"Ye-yes... Err... Sir? Sorry, I don't know..."

"I'm male."

A tint of amusement was on the man's tongue, as he seemed to relax slightly. Johann nodded; he then frowned, but still choosing his words carefully.

"If I may ask, why must I spread this word...? I mean, I'll do it, but is there a reason? Is it true, what you say?" When the winged man nodded, he paled considerably. "So... By a 'man with wings' do you mean one of you?"

"...Yes." The man lowered his sword, sheathing it within a matter of two seconds. He barely had time to register what he had done, before he opened his mouth to speak again.

"In fact, your staring at him right now."

As a loud, ear-splitting roar sounded outside, the winged man reached up cautiously, and took the mask off.

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **-Berk, Barbaric Archipelago, Midgard. Evening, 3years-7months-12days after Hiccup's death.**

Stoick watched the ship approach, trying to avoid the various questions in his head. Johann hadn't returned in over 3 years now- why would he show up after so long? And how had he got here so quickly, if he did set sail for them only three days ago?

Valka stood beside him, hand in his. She squeezed it reassuringly, but got no response.

Their dragons were behind them, watching with interest and wariness. The world had become dark around them, and they didn't want their loved ones hurt.

Looking up with a glance, the chief spotted their leading Dragon Riders, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Thorston Twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut. Their dragons were close by, watching keenly- Astrid's Deadly Nadder, Stormfly, the Twin's Hideous Zippleback, Barf and Belch, Fishlegs' Gronckle, Meatlug, and Snotlout's Monstrous Nightmare, Hookfang- each of them were cautious, and the Nightmare even let a low growl escape him.

They could sense another dragon in the area, a dangerous, powerful one. Judging by the fidelity, uncertain nature of every dragon around, including the Chief's and his wife's, apparently they weren't the only ones.

By the time the large wooden sea vessel had docked, most of the village had arrived, most of them confused yet happy.

Trader Johann stepped out, as he would always do, although this time, he had a orange-yellow Terrible Terror perched on his shoulder. The little dragon growled in greeting, curling around his owner's shoulders. Meet and greets went along, and he traded some goods in whole-hearted nature, just like old times. Only when thinsg had calmed down, did he approach the chief, looking some-what worried and nervous.

"It's good to have ya back, Johann." Stoick said; his son's tragic death had more than heavily influenced the man, and it was plain to see.

Deciding not to dwell on it, he spoke quietly. "Yes, yes, I agree, but there's something I need to discuss with the whole village, as soon as possible." Stoick seemed confused at first, asking why the entire village needed to know. "Well..." He said, "I think all of you just deserve to know."

 **Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO**

Silence reigned. Gobber stared, shocked and in disbelief. "So... Yer tellin' me, that a giant, blood red dragon Queen us coming to kill us all, in a few years time?"

"Yes, Gobber." Trader Johann awkwardly stared into his tankard. The village was gathered around the table, looking just like the Blacksmith. Off to the far wall, the remnants of the gang watched and listened in silence, sitting together, their dragons protectively sitting around the table, ready to defend and die for their riders, should this mysterious dragon show up.

"And there are dragon-men that are gonna save us all? On huge, magical dragons? And there's one of 'em, who we apparently know, that is destined to slay this 'Dragon Queen'...?"

Johann sighed; the man had been right. This _was_ harder than he had imagined... Then again, when you put yourself in their boots, it was crazy and ridicules. In the backdrop, someone coughed awkwardly, muttering a quiet 'sorry' afterwards.

Stoick wasn't exactly sure what to say, and frankly, no one did.

Even the twins were silent; although they had been like that for years now, so perhaps it wasn't too big of a stretch.

"Err... Johann, where did you hear this?" Spitelout finally asked, and the Trader gulped inwardly; he couldn't tell them the truth... So what could he do? Lie? He _was_ already keeping a million secrets, one more probably wouldn't hurt... Well, at least in the near future. It would probably rear its ugly head in the future and bite him hard in the arse, but it could be worse.

"I saw one... The dragon-man. And I overheard a conversation between two of its friends. Not long after that, word became viral in most places about it all."

After that, it was just questions and uncertainty, topped with disbelief.

Trader Johann sighed heavily, burying his head in his arms. This was going to be a long night, that was for sure... A soft growl vibrated in his mind, and with a nervous glance behind him, he could see a dark, shadowy man by the doors of the Great Hall. A green flash danced in the man's eyes under the hood, before he promptly left, leaving many around the area confused. Johann bit his lip, seriously wondering just how long Hiccup wanted to wait.

 **Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO**

 _It was a horrific battle; dragons were in sky, firing at one another, locking into close combat. Talons were ripping, and teeth were tearing, as fire scorched and burned. Many dragons had riders, armoured men and woman upon their faithful partners' backs. However, high in the sky, sending waves of death upon the opposing forces, a huge black dragon flew, its eyes a glowing, luminescent green._

 _Breathing jets of icy blue flame upon the field, they were killing machines, unleashing fire and fury upon the helpless soldiers. They were winning._

 _A loud, ear-splitting roar echoed across the battlefield, and suddenly, there was another one._

 _Black like the other, but with red eyes and claws, and about double the size of the green-eyed, it shrieked, a haunting sound that sent shivers down her spine._

 _It wasn't long before the other dragon noticed the bigger beast, who had a large hunk of darkly armoured man on his back. Roaring its challenge, they locked combat, slashing claws and breathing fire upon one another- when the dragons were close enough, sword met sword, although it appeared as if the smaller duo had a big advantage, especially with agility._

 _A moment later, however, a loud cry shook the sky, as the big one raked its talons over the green-eyed dragon's neck, sending hot, sticky blood flying. The dragon screamed, as the red-eyed dragon's rider plunged his long black sword into his snout, and with a howl, they fell. Both dragon and rider crashed hard, but only one got up._

 _The man knelt by the huge dragon, slowly bleeding to his death. With a roar that shook the sky, the man, possessing huge black wings and a long, deadly tail, and now glowing eyes, he launched himself towards the dragon in the sky, unaware of his presence. He tackled the rider, sending them both crashing to the earth._

 _Furious and grief-stricken, he roared, and pounced, just as the huge red eyed dragon descended upon her and Stormfly, claws outstretched, ready to tear into their flesh. Astrid threw her axe at the creature, who to her horror, MISSED._

 _Astrid could only watch, as the axe uselessly fell to the abyss below, and the dragon's claws grabbed Stormfly's neck, the claws digging in, as her beloved Nadder screamed bloody murder, literally. The worst her ears had ever heard, it was a awful sound she had never heard from a dragon, none the less her own; the black beast merely stared on, watching as she begged for it to stop, and desperately tried to pry away his claw, just as it flew off, guts and blood spilling over as her dragon went limp and fell..._

 **-The Hofferson Household, Berk, Barbaric Archipelago, Midgard. Night, 3years-7months-12days after Hiccup's death.**

...And she screamed. She screamed, and screamed, and then she broke down. Panting and crying waterfalls, she threw away the covers.

Outside, Stormfly, once asleep, shot up like a bullet, alarmed by her rider's cry.

She burst into action, nearly falling over when she skidded around the corner to the front door. Just as the dragon was about to ram the door down, arms flung around her neck, their owner sobbing and practically screaming into her.

The Nadder screeched in shock, but relaxed upon seeing it was just her rider. Checking her over, from head to toe, she calmed when she saw no physical injury, but she knew Astrid wasn't crying for no reason.

There were very few times she ever cried, and this was one of those horrible moments that tore at her heart. Since Hiccup and Toothless' death, nightmares had been Astrid's worst enemy, that she still hadn't been able to defeat. She doubted they could ever be killed- night mares were the dark thoughts in your heart, manifested into horrible dreams that haunted you.

Wrapping her wings around her precious, beautiful Astrid, bringing her neck round to bring her as close as possible, she cooed and warbled, nudging and nuzzling her poor rider. The young woman sobbed into her scales, her body shaking.

Astrid had never been so scared for her dragon, in the eight years they had been together. She had nearly lost Stormfly before in the past, in more than one scary situation but not in the way from that awful, terrifying nightmare.

None of them had ever included a huge, merciless dragon tearing her dragon's throat open, effectively killing her like she was nothing...

"It was terrifying, just... You were... Killed, and there was... The Dragon Man was there... And his dragon... He... They..." Astrid was met with a soft hum, as Stormfly met her teary gaze. Little droplets of water had gathered at the brims of her own luminescent yellow eyes, and she didn't hesitate when Astrid flung her arms around her once more.

 _I won't ever let you go, Astrid... I won't..._ Stormfly whispered to herself, swearing she would protect her...

Astrid cried herself to sleep, curled up beside Stormfly in her stall, wings creating a tent of comfort for her dearest rider and human. And even if it wasn't spoken, or even obvious, their bond grew just that little bit stronger.

 **Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO**

 **A/N: So yeah... This is late. And a bit shit. But hey, it's something. Don't really have much to say here, other than this FREAKING AU IS GOING TO BE FULL OF M RATED FANFICTIONS... What is it with me and torture, seriously... I'm referencing to 'The Twisted Realities' series, if you didn't know.**

 **WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!**

 **-Crystallion12.**


	34. Chapter 29- The Calm Before The Storm

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **SUMMARY –** **They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **NOTICES:**

 **-There is a Poll on my Profile Page, and it'll mean a LOT to me if you vote, if you haven't already done so.**

 **-For reasons found in the A/N, updates and stuff will be slow. Don't worry, I'm not on Hiatus or Writer's Block of any kind, just life is being tough, to sum it up briefly. For anyone wondering, Writer's Block for TIW is near impossible... I have the next twenty or so chapters already planned, with the content in the files for reference. ;)**

 **-Check out the new TIW forum for news, information, and any questions you may have. It has been named 'This Is War- AU'. Thank you for your time.**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 _ **aslan333-**_ **Thanks! Your support honestly means a lot. :D**

 _ **The Shadow Fright Dragon**_ **\- Yup, and that's only the beginning... BWHAHAHAA! Oh, lol, just pure lol... But, how would you react, if I told you... It** ** _might_...  NOT be a nightmare? And yes, I love my Asty and Stormy being adorable. Thx for the review!**

 **As always, thanks to every one of you- I love you all, and all your support and dedication is amazing!**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 29: The Calm Before The Storm (Letting Go, Part One)**

 **-Outer North Area, Dracoris Training Colony, Vanaheim. Sunset, 3years-9months-27days after Hiccup's death. {Heads up, up ahead is another tour scene... -_- Deal with it.}**

Silus walked side by side with his best friend, heading for their dormitory on the outer north area. Their dorm was one of the smaller buildings, in accordance to the fact their dragons were younger and smaller; the outer ring of dorms went in a small-big-small-big pattern, with three larger dorms underneath towards the centre- the whole layout was surrounded by tall walls, and the Colony's structure was very similar to Asgard's in terms of placement.

As mentioned pre-hand, there was the outer 'ring', where the patterned, smaller dorms were located.

Underneath those, was another ring, so to speak, and in between one set of large (three) dorms, was a different building.

For the north, it was Forge on top floor, with convenience on the middle floor, and Storeroom one on ground floor. On the south building, it was the same, except for having the Weaponry/Armoury Archives on top in place of the Weaponry/Armoury. The west building had a Dragon Nursery on the first floor, and convenience on top. The east building instead had a General Nursery- no one exactly knew why they chose to have them there, other than the occasional emergency.

The next ring was usually called the 'Inner Ring' and had four small Convenience buildings- the north containing the Bathhouse too, and south having the Minor Infirmary- and multiple dormitories between them.

At the very centre and heart of the Colony, was the actual Training Centre itself. Huge, tall and having four outgoing sections (known as the south to east wings) at its sides. It had six floors, and the mass amount of 35 rooms- listed as Core Weaponry and Armoury, Stealth (two _units/rooms_ ), Magic (three _u/r_ ), Close Combat, Aerial Defense, Aerial Combat, Aerial Maneuvoring, Simulation (five _u/r_ ), Core Gym, Secondary Gym (two _u/r_ ), Cafeteria, (they got pretty hungry) a Shower and Toilet Block, Bonding Room, the Library, the Racetracks (two _u/r_ ), Central Course/Racetrack, Swimming Pool, Lookout, Patrol (three _u/r_ ), the Lockers (or, as they called it, the gathering room) and finally, the Study Rooms (five _u/r_ ).

So, all in all, it was a pretty damned big complex. Even after three years, Hiccup occasionally would get lost in the Training Centre. It wasn't too surprising for him to open the doors, and find himself in the Bonding Room instead of the Secondary Gym.

Looking to Hiccup, Silus shook his head of water droplets once again. They had taken nice, hot, long showers before leaving, washing off dust and soothing their aching muscles the best they could, after the day's gruelling (as usual) events. Spreading one wing in front of him, Hiccup grunted in annoyance as he got wet. He folded it back to where it's wing claw rested against his waist, folded above the hips, the back of the wing pressed neatly against his spine. Behind him, Hiccup's tail swayed with his lightly toned body, the sharp spikes half-way pressed to the surface.

Above them, soaring in the bright orange and yellow rays of the sunset, Toothless flew with Aurora, dipping and diving, frolicking in the sky lightly. Hiccup, tilting his head almost completely backwards with ease, (thanks to the extra vertebrae in the Humanblaka neck) watched them silently, breathing in the cool air of the evening.

"I still can't believe all this..." Silus said beside him. Hiccup passed him a glance, and continued to walk in the position he was in, using his tail for balance and brushing it against the floor occasionally for guidance. "I mean, come on, think about it! Think about our destiny, our new home- correction, that's plural-" Hiccup chuckled slightly, "And just... _Everything_!"

Hiccup quickly flexed his neck back into position, smiling faintly. "I may have lost everything I had known..."

Emerald eyes, the pupils dilated slightly, sparkled fondly, as a black sheen ran over them naturally, sending a gentle wave of energy into his body, keeping him active and aware. Hiccup looked deep into the younger man's eyes, fondly crooning.

"But look where I am now. Besides, I still have Toothless, and hey, now I've got you, my best friend, Aurora, Kuornos, Crimseara... It seems as if the list goes on for miles."

"Aww, thanks bro, you're my best bud too..." Silus entwined the tip of his long tail with Hiccup's, brushing their wings together.

Purring, the man moved closer, nuzzling his shoulder affectionately.

Silus brought his neck around, leaning his forehead against Hiccup's as he murmured quietly words of reassurance that would stand for years to come. "And when we do go back to Berk, we'll do it together, no matter what anyone says. As best friends and brothers in friendship, forever and ever."

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **-Study Room, Dormitory NS1, Outer North Area, Dracoris Training Colony, Vanaheim. 9:43 pm, 3years-9months-27days after Hiccup's death.**

 _You know, Hiccup..._. Toothless warbled, rolling onto his back, as the young man at the desk turned to face him.

The dragon smiled. I _miss the times you would draw. When the whole chief thing came up, and your father wanted you to take up the job, it slowed by a long shot... And now, what with all the training and stuff... Well... You're never relaxed_. His eyes drooped, and his ear plates pressed against his neck. _I miss seeing you laid back, without a care in the world, but making me smile. Making me stick my snout in your paper_.

Hiccup chuckled, remembering how his dragon used to do that. But then, he frowned. _I'm relaxed,_ he said in defence. _Reading is calming_ \- He tapped the side of his book with the tip of his large wing- _And I'm doing that right now. You said that to me yourself, Bud_.

 _I know._ Almost in a nervous fashion, he pawed at the soft red carpet, his claws running through the strands of fabric. _But it's not because you WANT to, is it?_

 _Your thinking and concentrating, imagining a battle where that dreadful Raquarrak battle scene plays out, and you have to command the troops, or save the people..._ His pupils narrowed, imagining his precious Hiccup being bloodied and battered in such a horrific scene. With reluctance, the dragon finished, _or, try to do both_. Part of Toothless tried to reason with this, and take it another direction, but he knew Hiccup oh too well; that was exactly what he was thinking. He didn't need telepathy for that fact to show.

 _Bud, you know me. If I really am to become a Captain... Well, I need to be ready!_ Hiccup stared coldly at the floor, his wings slightly fanned and tail raised, twitching in agitation, as his hips slightly lifted off the ground, his leg muscles tense. _I can't be doing pointless things like messing around. Besides..._ He gulped, hating the next bunch of words he spoke. He knew they weren't true... _Games ARE for kids, right?_

 _Stars ABOVE, Hiccup, where did THAT nonsensical Bewilderbeast-crap come from?_ Toothless growled in disbelief. _Did you hit your head on a rock? Or are you just having a oblivious, I'm-a-completely-different-person, and I'm-now-a-bland-and-cold-jerk-to-my-dragon-and-friends phase?_

Hiccup looked at his book, then sneaked a glance at his dragon. Toothless was looking in another direction as he was, his paws.

The dragon's voice hardened, the way it always did when he got serious. _You know that. You deny that. You refuse to accept that you don't have to be PERFECT. You've set aside fun, forgotten games, ditched playing almost all-together, and that's been for nearly four years now!_ His eyes lifted. _Well, I'm afraid I won't let you set aside ME_.

He stood up, slithered over, and stood above his rider, long, muscular neck arched as he stared down at his human. A tiny fear blossomed in Hiccup's heart, as its rate quickened. What was he doing? Was Toothless that mad at him?

Toothless looked him in the eye, massive slits belittling frightened and confused emerald orbs, complete with slightly narrowed pupils and a stiff posture. Even if he wasn't trying to, the Skulblaka was the most intimidating thing Hiccup knew in that moment. Especially, with his deep, menacing voice that echoed in his mind.

 _I'm your dragon, and you are my rider_. His eyes bore into Hiccup's soul harder, if that was even possible.

 _Do not pretend like I am not. I will be over-protective. I will fight for you. I will kill for you. I will DIE for you. And most importantly, I will NEVER, ever, in my entire life, love another the way I do to YOU_. He lifted his head nobly and majestically. _I will save you in your time of need and desperation, and I will defeat and slaughter any one who dares to even TOUCH you harmfully. And I don't care what the repercussions or consequences are, as long as you are safe._

He lowered his massive head, laid down on his belly, and extended his long neck across the carpet, before pressing his scaly snout into Hiccup's loosely open hand laying palm-up. They looked at it together, and met gazes in sync. The Skulblaka spoke gently and softly, so much so that it almost was a hushed whisper in his mind, like wind rustling autumn leaves.

 _We are ONE, Hiccup, and only death can change that_.

After a moment, he drew his head back, rising up over Hiccup, and snorted, thin streams of blueish grey smoke rising, causing Hiccup to blink repeatedly.

 _Now- with all that mushiness out the window_..

He gave his rider a playful glare, and reaching to the side, grabbed a piece of blank paper, dropping it on top of the History book with a cute, expectant look.

 _Draw me_.

 **Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO**

 **A/N: Hey guys! Miss me?**

 **Okay, yeah yeah, haven't been gone for that long, but still...**

 **I'd quickly like to apologise for my recent lack of updates. Life's been tough on me; assessments are hitting strong and starting to seriously flesh out, so I'm afraid, for now, this low amount of quality and frequency is the standard. :(**

 **PS- It doesn't really matter, but if anyone notices, new reviews haven't been showing up on TIW's 'reviews' page. Now, no need to panic, as I get them by email either way, and can respond, by every single means. Just a little heads-up for you folks. (This has happened before, they should pop up sooner or later, if my hunch is correct).**

 **Love you all, and I'll see you guys next time! Toodles!**

 **-Crystallion12.**

 **Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO**


	35. Chapter 30- To Bring Your Nightmares

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **SUMMARY –** **They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **NOTICES:**

 **-There is a Poll on my Profile Page, and it'll mean a LOT to me if you vote, if you haven't already done so.**

 **-I'm now on DeviantArt, and I have, and will continue to post my drawings of the TIW dragons, cast, and occasional scene or something on there, so... If your interested, I guess, my user name is the same (Crystallion12) as it is here. I basically just draw dragons, so... Eh.**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 _ **Pietersielie-**_ **Haha, lol. *Looks at chapter* Annndd it's returned. Sorry, buddy, but the angsty-ness and cliffhangers are going to be VERY prominent later on- the finale of Part Tow is actually split into three chapters, so... Yeah. Sowwy. By the way, missed your reviews- great to hear from you again. Thanks for the review!**

 _ **The Shadow Fright Dragon**_ **\- Yup, they're practically brothers- closest close can be between two Humanblakas. Yeah, I like it more too. Did quite a few edits; the original kinda just felt a bit empty... And that's okay- every review means so much to me, no matter the length. ^_^**

 _ **aslan333**_ **\- Thanks, pal!**

 **As always, thanks to every one of you- I love you all, and all your support and dedication is amazing!**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 30: To Bring Your Nightmares**

 **-Sleeping Room, Dormitory NS1, Outer North Area, Dracoris Training Colony, Vanaheim. 3:19am, 9years-6months-13days after Hiccup's death.**

 _Come on, Hiccup, get up..._ Toothless prodded his rider's large black wing, grunting when Hiccup just mumbled something incoherent, and rolled back over. Fluffy- the big, male, golden lion on his bed- growled at him, shifting so he could be closer to the Shur'tugal. He slipped his large head under Hiccup's arm, snuggling into the man's chest.

To be honest, Toothless couldn't blame either.

Fluffy wanted cuddles, which made sense, but Hiccup and him had Simulation today from 10:25 to, well, whenever it ended, which would most likely be half four in the morning.

 _Hiccup_ , Toothless growled lowly, _We are GOING to be late. Don't you want breakfast?_

 _I never do on Simulation days, Bud... It usually gets hurled up._ Hiccup, turning over, wrapped both arms around the lion, burying his face into Fluffy's soft mane, inhaling his warm scent of trees and fresh grass.

Groaning, the dragon slapped a paw over his snout. _Little One, it's 03:19 now. Aerial Combat starts at half three, and your still in bed._

 _Yeah, so? Never was intending to have breakfast any way, and besides, it doesn't take THAT long to get dressed and out of here_. Toothless snorted, padding over to grab his saddle. Along the way, he growled in amusement to the young panda on Kuornos' bed, flopped all over him, getting a huff in response. He opened Hiccup's clothes drawer with his teeth, grabbing out his rider's garments for the day. _Come on, get changed. We don't have that long._ Dumping them on his face, the transformed Night Fury snickered as Fluffy grunted in annoyance.

Sighing heavily, Hiccup removed his arms from around Fluffy, with slight struggle, considering one was _underneath_ the massive cat, and he didn't want to hurt his furry friend. Smoothly and gently, he rubbed his thoughts against the big cat's mind. Grunting, the lion reached up, grabbing his sword, hooked onto the bedpost to his side.

With a chuckle at the golden beast's pouting face, he pulled his tail from under the lion. Swinging his legs over and throwing off the covers (consisting of a fleece blanket, a normal, and a thin layer) "Thanks, Fluffster." Hiccup scratched Fluffy's forehead, and got out of his comfy bed.

Fluffy watched him as he took his clothes, changing without a second thought; if the others woke up, he wouldn't care. They had seen him naked before, as he had in return. That's just what happened when you were a dragon-human hybrid, and got into more dangerous and harmful scenarios per year that most would have in ten. On more than one occasion, they had helped him dress and wash, especially Silus.

Of all the amazing Shur'tugalar, Silus had to be his closest comrade and friend. Not only did they relate by village and home, but they both shared similar experiences, as well as dragons.

After him, had to be Aloysius, who was like a father to Hiccup now; he had sort-of, just maybe, and possibly, totally, become his caretaker... No one ever said it, but it was dead obvious. At times, it could be frustrating, and he sometimes felt like the man was way too over-protective; and he went into a rebellious phase for a week or so.

Aurora, Kuornos, Lucy and their dragons followed shortly after. Aside from the pre-mentioned members of his life, they had to be his best friends, his brothers and sisters.

So, yeah, his life was pretty sweet. Perhaps not perfect, and chock-full of darkness, blood and violence, but he still loved it. The parties, the long nights spent just talking, flying in the night sky or playing in the sunset, sleeping in a pile of skin and limbs, those were the moments he lived with his loved ones who lighted that dark, and saved him from the clutches of insanity. All of them silently knew that without each other...

Well, life wouldn't exactly end well, and it'd probably be cut deathly short...

Although, in full honesty...

Hiccup could have done better without a little, certain, _totally_ not horrific, and _completely_ agonising part of training...

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **CONTENT WARNING:**

 **Blood, gore, mild language, and high violence is present ahead. Reader discrimination is**

 **advised, sensitive viewers, be warned.**

 **-Simulation 2, Training Centre, Dracoris Training Colony, Vanaheim. 7:47pm, 9years-6months-13days after Hiccup's death.**

Hiccup gasped, lurching forward, and yelped, searing pain jabbing him in the torso as the dragon's spine lodged itself into him. As he blinked repeatedly, stars danced in his vision, bright spots against the dark skies full of rain and lightning. His hearing muffled and disorientated, he could barely hear his dragon's roar of distress at his injury.

 _Agh..._ Doubling over in the saddle, he pressed his sweaty, wet forehead against the cold, freezing scales, as if it could comfort him in some way. _Fuck, that hurts..._ He inhaled sharply, trying to get his pain under control, but failing. _Hold on... B... Bud..._

Hiccup shook his head quickly, but did no justice, water still soaking his hair and down his face. A long claw mark ran from his temple down to his cheek, bleeding painfully and making it hard to think straight.

He blinked, groaning, and pressed a hand on Toothless' neck in front of him.

With a grunt, he rose, removing his chest from the dragon's spike, now drenched in red blood. Toothless whimpered at his pain, some-what guilty.

Shrieking, he made a sharp bank to the right, narrowly avoiding outstretched claws that gleamed with blood of both of its victims, who were doing their best to dodge in this moment. Offensive wasn't very smart right now...

He dove down, snapping his wings up, and twirling to avoid a close lightning bolt. Raising his wings up, the tips pointing above his head, he flapped in place vertically, his forelegs pressed to his chest. He passed a brief glance to his rider, the young man blearily shaking his head and trying to regain focus. Toothless stared down upon their opponent, screeching in fury, not understanding the Skulblaka's sudden disappearance.

 _Seriously,_ all he had to do was look up...

Toothless sighed inwardly, and turned back to the beast. He couldn't risk his rider taking another hit.

The young Humanblaka was already bleeding profusely- his neck had been slashed at the side, his head had received a nasty hit from the beast's tail; his chest had just been impaled, adding onto the three deep, long slashes inflicted upon his body, and the deep bite in his side. His entire right leg was completely immobile and unresponsive, probably paralysed, since it wasn't bent in some funny fashion, and he couldn't feel it. His left ankle had practically been torn apart, and the only reason that stopped Hiccup from cutting it off with his sword, was the fact that he didn't exactly want to lose more blood than he already had.

Toothless himself couldn't say much- in fact, he was probably worse off.

His right hind leg had been torn off from the knee down, shredded and bitten off viciously. Bleeding scratches littered his body, and a deep bite mark had been implanted on his neck, slowing those reflexes. The dragon's wing was torn in multiple places from a shower of attacks, and the beast had striken his belly hard, leaving a massive bruise and some blood seeping out a thin line, and Toothless was pretty sure he was internally bleeding pretty badly.

 _Little One, I need you to be alert! That... Thing... Isn't exactly the best guy at warning his foes that he's going to split their stomach open_.

Hiccup nodded faintly, and gently pressed against Toothless' side with his remaining leg. He stared down at the Lethrblaka.

They descended upon the large black demon, and rearing up, slammed his hind paws into it's backside. Screeching, the Lethrblaka fell down slightly, and, holding on still, Toothless dug in and left eight deep gashes with his claws. He dug in deeper, and snarled viciously. Writhing, the huge creature tried to pull away, but the Skulblaka's grip was strong.

Hiccup glared down at the beast, watching it struggle, with a type of morbid satisfaction that only came to him in certain situations like these. He suddenly stopped, froze, and his focus flickered up, as the sound of a tail whipping through the air caught his attention. _TOOTHLESS! LOOK OUT!_

The dragon, yelping in surprise, unlatched from the writhing creature, falling through the clouds as he let go of control in his wings. The tail ended up hitting air, where he had been only seconds ago. Breathing hard, Toothless regained his balance, flapping to stay aloft. Hiccup was shivering, whether it was from the cold rain, or blood-loss, he didn't know. It was probably both of them combined, knowing how unfortunate his rider could get.

Circling back around, he growled lowly, watching as it saw them, and stayed still. His large black wings batted furiously against the winds, the cold air that bit harshly at Hiccup's skin and mind.

He grunted, resting a hand on his frozen leg. He wouldn't be able to fly like this...

Suddenly, his pupils narrowed, and a high pitched screech entered his hearing. Toothless shot down like a bullet, roaring loudly, before he reared up, outstretching his talons. His wide, extended jaws full of razor sharp teeth, Toothless screeched his rage into the Lethrblaka's face as they collided.

Hiccup found he couldn't do much for a while. Occasionally when the beast brought its long neck around, he would lash out and attack it, slashing or stabbing with his sword or sinking his tail spines into the black-brown flesh.

Blood coated him, as Toothless snaked his neck down beneath their opponent, and grabbed hold of its back leg, tearing it off mercilessly. The blood sprayed, purple-red as it dripped onto Hiccup's shoulder, sticky and searing hot. Hiccup hissed in pain, defiantly ignoring how steam rose up when the cold rain hit the burn.

Screaming, the Lethrblaka's grip wavered, its eyes wide in pain. With a howl, it streaked its neck forward, and without much effort applied at all, grabbed him in its jaws.

Hiccup yowled, but all it did for him was alert Toothless of the happening. Screeching, the Lethrblaka yanked, successfully tearing a large chunk out of his side. Screaming, Hiccup gripped harder on Toothless' spine, and breathed heavily as blood poured out of the fatal wound, torn muscle and shattered bones showing among the red and pink of his insides. His mind spun, lights flashing before him, as Toothless surged downwards, narrowly escaping death by claws.

Toothless looked up, dread filling his mind, heart and soul. Hiccup was bent over him, gasping for air. He searched for fire within him, but the rain prevented any of that. _Shit..._ He thought, not necessarily to anyone or anything. He didn't care if that demon heard him. Knowing he probably wouldn't get an answer of any sort, he reached his mind, blazing with anger, to the Simulator he had grown to hate with every fibre in his large, glistening black body.

 _Why do you do this?!_ He screeched, dodging a lightning bolt, followed by the Lethrblaka who he managed to slash with his tail.

" _Oh, you're so oblivious, Skulblaka..."_ The Simulator said, chuckling.

Toothless growled in surprise; he hadn't expected the menace to respond. _Yeah, yeah, I know. It's pain toleration training..._ He glared at the Lethrblaka, who looked insanely realistic, as did the setting. No one other than them and the gods would ever guess that none of this was actually not happening, rather, it was all the work of magic.

But yet, it was still agonising. The pain was felt as if it was real, the blood and injuries made exact and precise. You could die in Simulation, and feel the agony and experience, but you'd just wake up in pain, somehow alive once more.

And then, it would repeat, over and over, tempting you to slip into insanity. Hiccup, Toothless, Silus, everyone, would often wonder who's idea this all was, but no one knew, apparently.

Not even Drakor Dragolus. Now, THAT said a lot.

" _Oh, do lighten up."_ The voice practically taunted him, as the mythical beast launched at him, claws opened and ready to tear him apart. They gripped onto his tail, tugging and digging into the scales. Roaring, Toothless turned full over so his neck went underneath him. The position was painful as it strained on his already pained back- but it could be worse. He bit into the beast's underbelly, and with a grimace, he tugged.

He shut his eyes quickly, just before a blood bath was dumped on his head, the screams merging with the sound of guts pouring out. He felt intestines drop onto his snout, slimy and sending shudders down his spine. The Lethrblaka writhed, claws raking at his tail, tearing long, deep claw marks into the sides of the limb.

Lifting its head, it screeched to the skies above, as Toothless surged forward, and with some effort, yanked out the beast's heart. Dripping with blood, he opened his eyes, his pupils narrowed slits full of rage and vengeance as the creature screamed all the way down into the cold, raging oceans.

He panted, shook his head of the now dead beast's liver, and looked up to his rider, breathing laboured and shallow.

They linked gazes, and Hiccup pressed his head against his bloody neck.

He growled quietly. _Now, THAT, was fucked up..._ Toothless groaned, and winced as his eyes stung, blood seeping into one.

Hiccup nodded slowly. _Agreed._

 **Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO**

 **Next Chapter:**

 **Chapter 31: Broken, Waiting to be Saved (Rome, Part One)**

 **A/N: Well, not much to say here... I dunno. Just a fair warning, this won't be the last of these type of gruesome and violent chapters.**

 **Also, if you are confused about this whole 'Simulation' thing, be patient. It'll be explained one way or another.**

 **DRAGONITES UNITE!**

 **-Crystallion12**


	36. Chapter 31- Broken, Waiting to be Saved

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **SUMMARY –** **They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **NOTICES:**

 **-Poll is closed. The winner, at seven votes, is _Shadow Rider_ , followed by _InSaNiTY_ , and _Kingdom of Dragons_. Thanks to everyone who participated and voted, it truly means so much to me! Expect some angsty badass Hiccup in the future!**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 _ **The Shadow Fright Dragon**_ **\- Well, it's training. Nothing else can be said, my dear... Oh. Have you ever heard of a Roman Scourge? Aren't they just wonderful... Looks at chapter* Eh... Heh... Yup! Nice and cheery! Heh... Hehe... Uh... I'm dead, amen't I? Thanks for the review, as always.**

 _ **thearizona**_ **\- Ah, yes. I am very aware of that, pal... Just saying that to make it appear like that's the worst I can do... When it most certainly isn't... Thx for the review! Nice to see your reviews grace my screen once more. ;)**

 _ **Pietersielie**_ **\- Hmm... No cliffies here, but we do have something else... Which, of course, is so pleasant! Why did I even put a content warning in here, again? Thx for the review and support, pal.**

 _ **NeonArt1**_ **\- Well... No idea when you'll see this, so heh, I'll just say thanks. But, I'm most certainly not the best, and reading your stories is all my pleasure. ^_^**

 **As always, thanks to every one of you- I love you all, and all your support and dedication is amazing!**

 **Now, as a gift of your dedication, go read some torture! Isn't that nice and fun?**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **KEY/GUIDE:**

Standard Writing- The present

 _'This'_ \- Thoughts, telepathic communication during flashback, nightmare or memory.

 _Italics-_ Flashback scenes, memories, nightmare.

 **CONTENT WARNING:**

 **Torture, (much worse than in Chapter 26.75) Violence, Some Blood and Gore, Strong Language. Rated a very high T, or a shallow M. Only for mature audiences. Read at your own discretion and risk. Although, I honestly think that's Implied with the chapter name, if you've read dark, real-life referencing fanfictions before...**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 31: Broken, Waiting to be Saved (Rome, Part One)**

 **-Bedroom, Sleeping Chambers 3-Floor 2-Room 1 / Hiccup and Toothless' Quarters, Dracoris Anscesora, Asgard. 1:56 AM, 12years-8months-27days since Hiccup's death.**

 _Screams tore through the air._

 _His screams. His screams of agony, as the whip streaked across his back for the seventy-ninth time that afternoon during the Scourge._

 _Hiccup was helpless to stop the torture, and could only hang his head and accept the beatings._

" _Scream, my Pet... No one can save you now..." The man laughed cruelly, circling him and lashing at his thigh. Groaning, Hiccup refused to look at the Roman man, who was stroking the bloodied whip in his hands._

 _'What good would that do...' Hiccup immediately retreated out of the Inquisitor's mind, wincing at how the thoughts circulated darkly._

Whimpering in his sleep, Hiccup shifted, his wings withdrawing and tail curling. Shudders reeked through his body, as if it was happening, all over again. As if he was still on Midgard, Earth, being tortured in a Roman Slave Fort.

" _For you? Nothing! But I enjoy it, and what I want, is what you give me!" He lashed out again with the whip, decorated with metal shards that tore through flesh like butter._

 _Hiccup stored away his screams and cries down his hoarse, desert dry throat. He shuddered inwardly, cringing as blood gave him a solution, no doubt flowing from his tongue's attempts to scream._

 _'You don... you don't know how mad... Toothless will be... when he come... comes...'_

 _The Inquisitor chuckled, and only sped up the process of tearing his back apart. Every time he screeched or screamed, the metal spike inserted into his mouth behind the tight muzzle would slice him more and more, sending him further into the reaches of the petrifying hell of torture. They had taught him a lot through Simulation, but never had they introduced him to plain torture like this. The sun was mercilessly beating down, burning exposed skin that continued to bleed, as hard leather and metal struck him, over and over for hours on end._

Hiccup wailed in his sleep, pleading in hushed whispers. He tossed and turned, hiding underneath the covers in a pathetic, vain attempt to get away.

 _The Inquisitor left him alone in his cell, leaving with a couple nastily placed fists and kicks to his probably broken ribs, and a slammed door. The sound echoed off the dark, bloodied, unforgiving, tormenting walls that confined him and blanked his mind. Chained to the floor as he was, the skeletal remains of the last prisoner lay across the floor hauntingly, only reminding Hiccup that he was in a place where no love existed, only torture and agony._

In his bed, Toothless stirred, his mind being prodded and disturbed- his rider was having another nightmare. Waking up faster than lighting, he shot up, and slithered out his bed, eyes narrowed. These terrors of the night were really starting to get on his nerves! He nudged his rider, his eyes sad as Hiccup whined again. He silently pleaded for his Hiccup to wake from thus awful clutch of darkness, so he could comfort his little one.

 _It was cold, dark, and soon wet. He could only sit up straighter to avoid the flooding of his cell, located near the sea caverns below the Fort._

 _Shivering madly, he gulped, anticipating a Temperature Overdrive to kick in, any moment now. When it did, Hiccup's eyes automatically squeezed shut, as terrible pain shot through his throat, and incredible tightness encased his chest, making it horribly difficult to breathe._

 _He didn't sleep; although, in the grand scheme of things, he hadn't slept properly ever since he came to Rome, which had been about two months ago. Every time, he would wake up sometime during the late hours, woken by the nightmares that plagued him both day and night. He was, undoubtedly, in the worst state imaginable; severely dehydrated, starving, near overwhelmed by blood loss, horribly deprived of sleep, with broken bones and missing wings, cut off just like his soul and freedom._

 _The Shur'tugal didn't fight against the guards as they dragged him out of his cell once again, soaked to his damaged skin and freezing cold._

 _He sighed, briefly glancing up at the skies, where the sun had only start to risen. He got the first_

 _torture session today, apparently. And that wasn't a good thing. Oh no, it most certainly was NOT... 'Oh Toothless... Where are you? I need you, Bud...'_

Toothless whimpered, nudging his rider, crying softly into the pillow that he didn't realise was there. _I AM here, Hiccup_... He said softly, but got no answer aside from more whimpers.

 _The Inquisitor yanked on the reigns, dragging him across the Courtyard and chaining him to the poles. After delivering some well-placed punches and whippings, he stopped, standing and just watching Hiccup whimper, slumped in the chains._

 _Smirking, he walked over to a table off to the side, and picked up a long, gleaming knife. He heated it quickly, making sure Hiccup could see it the entire time._

 _Walking around to his back, the Inquisitor reached up, and stroked a finger down the sensitive skin, multiple nerves packed underneath, located between the wing joints. Hiccup moaned quietly, shuddering, just as the knife's blade touched it. Hearing the slave go silent and freeze, he stabbed it in. He deliberately missed the centre, and so, took it out, and stabbed again, all the while listening to the victim's pathetic howls and screeches._

 _'STOP! Please, stop... Please...' Hiccup wailed loudly, choking down a sob as the blazing red hot knife sunk deeper into him, between where the wing joints once were. Right in the nerves. He felt it dig deeper as the Inquisitor chuckled cruelly, grabbing the metal reigns (chains connecting from the sides of the muzzle to the collar) and yanking his head back as far as it could possibly go so their eyes met._

" _And tell me, Pet, why I would do that...' He pushed the long dagger further in, and stepped back, leaving it there as he circled Hiccup threateningly._

 _Swallowing down his fears, and setting aside his agony for some insults, he snapped in the man's mind. 'I don't know, maybe, because, you're a sadistic, cold-blooded, fucking bastard who conspires with sxrixs?' The Roman Torturer sighed, and grabbed the hilt of the knife again, smiling, almost fondly. 'I just made everything worse for me, didn't I?'_

 _Laughing, he nodded, and without warning, yanked out the blade lodged into his back brutally..._

...Hiccup screamed loudly, jerking and causing sheets to fly off. Dipping his head to let the fleece blanket fall of his head, Toothless practically rammed his head into his rider. He yowled in defeat as Hiccup whined, and continued to writhe.

 _Eyeing his slave as the crimson blood streamed down Hiccup's back, screams dying in his throat, the Inquisitor stepped forward, and touched his neck delicately. "Oh, don't be so squeamish, that wasn't TOO bad..." Hiccup wailed, and he smirked at his pain. "What's wrong, Useless? Are you just too pathetic to withstand a little pain?" He ran his fingers down and along his chest, taking delight when his slave whined and shook, desperate for him to get off him, out of his comfort zones, and stop the living Hel._

Toothless' ear plates perked up, hearing the concerned yells of multiple Humanblakas and their dragons from within their Sleeping Quarters. One in particular stood out, and the sound of Silus' balcony doors slamming open and him speeding down to his room entered his hearing.

He let out a breath of relief. If anyone could help Hiccup when he couldn't, it was his best friend and brother by friendship.

 _Hiccup gasped in agony, slamming against the cold, stone wall. Blinking as a loud, blood-curdling roar echoed, he looked up and saw Armageddon charging at full speed, absolutely furious. He ducked to the side as clear claws raked above his head, and dust flew into his eyes as he pounced on its neck, shoving the Icewing to the ground. He screeched viciously, black eyes and red slits baring into it's soul, as he launched at Armageddon's neck to tear out his throat. Underneath his beaten, bleeding flesh, he would never do this, but he was under the overwhelming and agonising influence of a Agitation Collar, and It was him or Armageddon. Time to make his decision._

Toothless flinched as Hiccup growled, twitching, and his wings fluttering in agitation. He watched in silence as the Humanblaka snarled and snapped, thrashing wildly. The dragon didn't need to be told what that meant subconsciously.

 _His eyes snapped open, and suddenly, everything was dark and dead as screams ripped from his bloody throat._

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **-Bedroom, Sleeping Chambers 3-Floor 2-Room 1 / Hiccup and Toothless' Quarters, Dracoris Anscesora, Asgard. 11:21 AM, 12years-8months-27days since Hiccup's death.**

Silus sighed heavily, feeling like icy cold water had filled his lungs and wouldn't be barfed up. Opening his eyes, he saw Hiccup, yet again in his warm embrace, his arms wrapped around him. Upon feeling his cold skin, Silus cringed slightly- he felt like icy cold had clutched him- Hiccup was living it. Swallowing freezing cold sea water wasn't exactly the best of ideas... It would probably last for years, tormenting his friend until he finally spent weeks vomiting and losing his mind alongside possibly severe amounts of blood from the exhaust his body would have to go through...

Going back over that thought, he paled. Stars above, he was NOT looking forward to that. He just hoped the reaction would be relatively soon, and not build up so insanely it could require surgery or dire medical attention.

He buried his nose into Hiccup's hair, breathing in and out slowly. What had Hiccup ever done to deserve this?

There was no doubt that Rome hadn't just impacted Hiccup, although his case was obviously the most severe- no, everyone was in its horrific grip. They were nervous and cautious, afraid to lose him again. Silus was among those, hovering uneasily at the top of the chart.

As it usually was in mornings when he was cold, his heartbeat was shallower than the average, but pressing a finger to his neck gave him the rough estimate he'd be fine. Silus would probably have a healer check up on him none the less, just to be sure. They didn't need any Temperature Overdrives **[1]** at the moment.

He gently stroked down the side of Hiccup's neck, being careful to not touch the barely healed bite mark near the collarbone. This was an action he had been doing for years now. It felt so distant and far away now, it was almost unbelievable. He stayed there, holding Hiccup in his arms, almost clutching and holding too tightly, almost afraid that something would just happen, and he'd simply disappear with a mere poof and cloud of dust. The mere thought of his brother just being torn away, _just_ like that, scared him out his own mind.

He lifted his head, not releasing his embrace on the broken soldier. He looked at the clock, set to twenty-four hour time.

It read _05:24_.

For what felt like the millionth time in that month alone, he let out a slow breath of air and looked down at Hiccup.

Studies for his research on Desert Nightmares could wait for a better time; Hiccup needed him way more than some boring knowledge about how scales blended with a special type of sand. He could always ask Garitirus, who was originally a Desert Nightmare, later, no problems involved. He snuggled further into his brother, entwining their tails and wrapping his wings around him. Silus didn't care much for the low temperature of his friend's skin against his own through the fabric, he'd felt worse.

He closed his eyes, ready to get some more rest, before heading out to the Hospital and seeing to getting a healer around. Just as he nearly fell asleep, a soft moan came from Hiccup, right beside him. Dreary, exhausted and dilated eyes fluttered weakly, and Hiccup leaned further into the warmth of Silus.

Silus rubbed the back of Hiccup's neck, getting a soft, vibrating purr in return. "Hey there..." He ran his fingers gently through his hair, allowing Hiccup to snuggle into his chest. "How are you feeling? Do you want something?"

"Mmh... Co... Cold..." Hiccup fell limp into him, barely awake. Silus nodded, quickly checking his pulse again, and sighed. Shallower. He pulled the covers further up his friend, leaving it just below his neck, before slipping out of the bed. Perhaps the scariest part of Temperature Overdrives, and how they occurred was just how fast they could turn on, become worse, and transfer into severe consequences which could quite easily lead to death. "Don't... Go..."

"I'll be back, promise. You just stay here and sleep, 'kay?" Silus pushed the covers further towards his friend, "I'm just going to get a healer. You need anything, just wake up Toothless or Aurora, or someone else."

Hiccup blinked tiredly, and nodded slightly, sinking into the mattress. His wings retracted against his back from pain, and he whimpered.

Quickly planting a kiss on his friend's forehead, Silus made his departure, closing the door behind him with hesitance. He strode through the hall with a quick pace, and as soon as he got outside, he spread his shimmering black wings, glittering blue and purple as light reflected off the scales. Taking flight in one powerful leap, he swiftly dipped and dove past the buildings, sharply veering left after passing the front of the Sleeping Chambers 3 and 5, flying directly west to the Hospital.

A moment later, he touched down, and headed inside with a sigh. Trips to this place were starting to become alarmingly regular.

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **-Bedroom, Sleeping Chambers 3-Floor 2-Room 1 / Hiccup and Toothless' Quarters, Dracoris Anscesora, Asgard. 4:39 AM, 12years-9months-02days since Hiccup's death.**

He sighed for the hundredth time that night, running a hand through his hair.

When would it all just _end_? When would Hiccup finally get a peaceful night? No agony, no nightmares, nothing except healing?

Silus was sitting on Hiccup's bed, stroking his hand, which was peeking out of the multiple covers piled on.

He was torn between taking one off, or putting another on, what with the rapidly and troubling swings in temperature his friend was being tormented by. One moment, he was shivering, but his temperature was as hot as a flaming, agitated Monstrous Nightmare, and the next, he was sweating and colder than ice.

The Humanblaka moaned, shifting, and his tail swished slightly under the sheets in discomfort. Silus gently lay a hand on the middle, nearest to the end section, pinning it down without the need for excess force or panic. Hiccup whimpered quietly in confusion at the physical touch, clearly not aware of his real-time surroundings or condition. The younger man slowly lifted his hand away, instead laying it on Hiccup's side, which was quivering, almost madly and at a disturbing rate.

Hiccup had first shown signs of a TOR, the abbreviation for _Temperature Overdrive Relapse_ **[2]** , a few days ago, although they weren't all that convincing, appeared minor, and he had even considered passing it off- but, as always, his overprotective 'brotherly' side got the best of him.

He had called in a healer to check him out a few hours prior, and his vitals showed he would be okay after some warming up. So he did that quickly, and then went to study before he was questioned. He hadn't known Toothless was off for a quick hunt, leaving his rider alone and presuming he'd be in soon. The next night when he came in, though, Hiccup was absolutely silent, and frozen to the bone- had he not called in a emergency team and got him under control as quickly as they did...

Silus shuddered. That was a terrifying thought he really didn't want to see in his mind right now. He was already sagging with guilt and regret for leaving Hiccup alone like that. And so, here he was. Once again by his best friend's side, terrified that his shallow heart might just stop cold at any moment, and he'd be dead. It most certainly wasn't impossible.

"Toothless, boy," He called out, as the dragon, faithfully curled by the bed, lifted his heavy head, his eyes droopy. "Can you re-kindle the heating lamps for me?"

The massive dragon nodded, raising his long neck and releasing a small spurt of blue flame from his maw. The bowls, about the size of a normal plate, burned stronger and brighter, illuminating the room a bit more and heating it. Silus didn't mind; he had always been good with temperatures, to be honest. Only had a dozen or so Overdrives over the course of the last, long nine years, not counting those from Simulation.

Despite this, he certainly wasn't immune. He felt some-what clammy, even though he wasn't really sweating much. Humanblakas didn't really sweat all that much, actually. They were able to pant like their dragon companions, and do both at the same time, making things a lot quicker, and that little bit safer.

Groaning, he shuffled off the bed, reaching up to take his shirt off, exposing his highly toned upper body to the warm air of the Quarters.

He dropped it by the bed post, and sighed as he sat back down again, running a wandering hand down the other Humanblaka's side, almost as if on instinct. Laying on his side, it probably wasn't the best position Hiccup could have chosen, in full honesty, but if it meant some sanctuary against his pain and nightmares, he wasn't complaining.

Moans, shudders, and whimpers were all he got out of Hiccup for hours on end. He and Toothless stayed awake the entire time, not leaving their bedside vigils. Aurora had been forced to sleep because of exhaustion, displayed by how she was splayed across Toothless' bed.

Silus could feel weariness biting at him, and after some hesitance, laid down beside Hiccup, curling his tail around the back and resting his head against one arm.

The door suddenly opened, and Silus perked up, hearing the familiar voice of Aloysius.

"Still awake?" The Shur'tugal didn't sound surprised or scolding in the slightest as he moved forward, watching Hiccup with pain and worry in his slightly dilated eyes. Crimseara appeared in the doorway, coming in and laying down by the wall on top of a random bunch of pillows they had brought in a few months ago for Toothless.

He nodded. "Yeah... Couldn't sleep..." Silus' gaze never moved off Hiccup, lightly twitching as his head retracted further towards his chest. "I think we can both understand that."

Aloysius quietly placed his fingers under his chin, and moved him, before tracing a line by his cheekbone and stroking the back of his tired head. The rider spoke quietly, sleep not being very kind to him either. "Yeah..." He said. "Definitely... You know, I don't think I'll ever understand how Hiccup manages to get himself in countless situations like this."

Silus managed to chuckle softly. "Uh huh... It drives me fucking crazy, does it."

He unfurled his crimson, glittering large wings, allowing them to cover Hiccup on a level. He rested a hand on the young Humanblaka's shoulder.

"Go get some sleep," He said. "You've been up for a week now, you need to rest if you want to keep a proper eye on this reckless idiot here." As Silus opened his mouth to say something, Aloysius cut him short. "And don't complain. I know you're tired."

Silus looked down at Hiccup with unease. "I don't like leaving him..." He mumbled, the words slipping off the tongue easily.

Aloysius smiled faintly. "I know... But you aren't much good to him exhausted, are you?"

"True," Silus admitted. "But don't forget, I've been up for much longer- my longest one being a 21 day course. I can handle this shit for weeks..."

 _Smack._

"Ow!" He reached up, rubbing the soon-to-be bruise on his right wing. "What was that for?"

Aloysius growled. "Just go to sleep, kid. I'll be here for Hiccup, and I'll let you know immediately if he shows any developments."

"But-"

His eyes narrowed a bit. "Go. To. Sleep."

"Just one question." Aloysius sighed, and nodded for him to continue. "Weren't you supposed to be gone for another seven days at that conference?"

Aloysius chuckled a bit at that. "They let me go once they heard about I'm-constantly-getting-injured-and-ill here. John and Minty took over for us." He gestured to the dragons. "Crimseara will be here in half an hour or so, she's just at the Hospital, getting checked out. She took a bit of a tripping to the head while we were in the city, and we didn't have time to see if it was alright before the meeting started. Now, off to bed with you. I'll tell Aurora where you went if she wakes up."

Silus nodded, nuzzling Hiccup's forehead and giving him a gentle nudge to the hand, before leaping down onto his wings and back legs, forearms against his chest. He brushed his tail against Aurora's paw gently, and slithered out, passing one last glance at them before leaving.

"Oh, Hiccup..." He muttered, looking down at the sleeping figure in the bed, laying there so vulnerable and cold. His fist clenched, nails digging into the skin. If he ever met another Roman...

 _Don't think about those things, Alois._ Toothless had his head lifted, eyes on his rider. Aloysius was silent as the dragon talked. _Hiccup wouldn't want vengeance, revenge, any of It. If anyone is to deal them justice, it's him, and Silus. They're the ones who were captured, even if Silus wasn't there long..._

"He was still there." Aloysius growled quietly. "But Hiccup could die, and was on the brink of it when we stormed into the fort during the fight. That's how much they tortured him."

 _I know..._ Toothless hissed slightly, just thinking about how at night, he would hear his rider's faint, reverberating screams in his mind. He hadn't slept for the whole ordeal- and frankly, not since his return, a few months ago, at least not properly. He had even gone on a self-harming phase, so far that he tried to commit suicide... He shuddered, and met Aloysius' gaze. _And if I ever see one, it's head will be ripped away before they can even fucking scream. But, for now, we stay focused._

The Humanblaka nodded. His long red tail swept around and under the covers, entwining with the tail of the young man he saw more as a son than a friend or companion. "You should get some sleep too, you know. You must be exhausted..." The dragon snorted, shaking his head. Aloysius made no comment, as he had already known the answer, long before posing the statement. No dragon would rest or take proper care of themselves if their rider was fatally injured, on the brink of death, or severely ill; the same went for vice-versa.

 _Hiccup?_ He asked mentally, creating a quiet, private mental link. _I don't know if you can hear me... But If you can, I just want to tell you to keep holding on. We're here for you, and I know you can get through this..._ He sighed, and pressed his forehead against Hiccup's hand he held. _Please... I don't know If I could survive losing you too._

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **-Bedroom, Sleeping Chambers 3-Floor 2-Room 1 / Hiccup and Toothless' Quarters, Dracoris Anscesora, Asgard. 9:20 PM, 12years-9months-06days since Hiccup's death.**

Two Humanblakas walked down the hallway, their Skulblakas behind them, growling quietly to each other.

Opening the door to Hiccup's Quarters, they entered without needing permission or forewarning; they were Hiccup's Home-Group, Team, Squadron, Training Squadron, Patrol Group... All of it. They were his family, and no one could deny that. Almost everyone on Dracoris Anscesora had a group of which they spent their time with, and gave their utmost loyalty and hearts to.

Silus, was, as usual, by the Humanblaka's side on the bed. He smiled faintly upon seeing them, his voice quiet as to not disturb their leader's, for once, rather pleasant slumber.

"Hey guys... What you doing here?" He frowned slightly, and laid his hand on Hiccup's side.

They huffed. The oldest of the group, and the tallest at six foot five, was Kuornos. Like his friends, he was packed with lean muscle all over his body. His large wings and long tail matched the colour of his dark Skulblaka, a unnatural dark grey that was near black. Taking a strong contrast, his short, some-what spiky hair was a dark blonde, and his eyes were a gentle but fierce blue-green.

The other was Lucy, the only female Shur'tugal in their team. She stood at six foot three, only a hair below Silus. She had a fine, curvy body, with a nice tan and lean muscle that put so many men to shame. Her hair was long and wavy, falling down to her hips when loose (which was quite often). It was dark as ink, coal black and shiny. They would never understand that... Her eyes were shockingly a amethyst purple, and her wings and tail stood among the rest of her fine features, a stunning, glittering sapphire blue, the spines a shiny gold.

Silus chuckled, watching as Saphyrx, Lucy's blue dragoness, creeped in silently, which had to result in her getting on her belly and shuffling forward. All of them could see her, but they didn't say anything; let the argon have some fun.

Soon after, Kuornos' male Skulblaka, the deadly and rather quiet Voarex, stepped inside, lowering his large head so it rested above his rider's broad, powerful shoulder.

"So, you're telling me we can't see our best friend and brother now?" Lucy asked, sitting down beside Silus.

Thankfully, the beds were just that large and supportive, and well, Hiccup wasn't exactly taking up all that much space in his current position. This was a sharp contrast to some mornings in the past, where he'd be all over, his head buried flat into the pillow, while his body swerved to the side, his wings flopped over the bed's side, and his tail curled around. Here and now, he was in a almost fetal position, arms drawn to his chest, and his legs were bent up but not necessarily inwards- his tail was laid out carelessly across the side, and rested just to Lucy's side on the left (they were closer to the door- they were facing right in direction) under the covers. His wings were flopped on the mattress under the sheets, too exhausted and weakened to retract in.

"No... No, of course not. You guys are welcome to come and stay, I'm just... You know..." Silus trailed off, instead concentrating on comforting his best friend.

Kuornos leaned against the wall. "...Upset? Worried? Stressed?"

Silus nodded, absent-mindedly reaching over and hovering his finger over a branding scar over Hiccup's sternum, clearly done as painfully and brutally as possible. There was even a faint scar from where shackles had been on his neck, and thin lines from where the restraining device had dug in, although that would have been the work of Drago and Scarlet, not the Romans.

The thought alone of Hiccup in the black, menacing contraption of old times was enough to flip his stomach and make him hurl, so he gulped a few times to swallow down his previously eaten, meagre amount of food from dinner. The last few months had been full of that, he just hadn't been eating much. He knew it wasn't good, and Lucy and Kuornos weren't the only ones to notice- just about everyone had.

Poor thing... Saphyrx padded over, nuzzling the young rider, only 32 years old, which was incredibly young for a Humanblaka.

Perhaps not for a mortal human, but for him, yes. Some parts of his body and its functions were still developing; they just hoped that the whole ordeal wouldn't affect that. Then again, it wouldn't have been the first time Hiccup had been tortured, as horrific as that sounded; the worst time, which would probably always hold the record for his worst experience, was when he was captured by a odd bunch of curious researchers.

They had performed cruel, horrific experiments on him, and many other creatures, and if it was fatal or lethal, they paid slave magicians to revive the subjects, who would usually be killed once tests were done.

Perhaps that was the worst one for Hiccup; the only factor, was that, well, he didn't remember much of it. At all. They actually owned a large file, which contained results and reports on those experiments. Hiccup had no idea they had salvaged the files, and that Ciron held them in his possession, if he ever wanted to know more about the tortures laid upon his being, for whatever reason; so far, he hadn't directly brought anything of the sort. Probably to recent and fresh, despite being a few years ago now.

That one factor, that he didn't remember it, was what made Rome so much more worse.

Hiccup remembered Rome.

Every. Single. Bit.

Silus felt tears slip into his eyelids, as he remembered the first few weeks of Hiccup's rescue. For the first couple of days, fuck, had he been _hostile_.

 _He walked into the confinement room, nervous as he opened the door. A lone Humanblaka was curled up tightly against the wall; they had been unable to remove the shackles from him, or the contraption around his tail, so he was just as confined as before. Having been unable to help, his wounds had been left untreated, and were threatening his life to the stage where they had two choices; try to show they weren't a foe, although that had failed a dozen times already, or, forcefully net him and sedate him so they could help._

They all remembered that conversation with Ciron, Alumus and the Head of the Medical Department, Cersia. He remembered specifically how they said he might not make it through the night. How serious the infections were, just by looking at him, curled up by the wall, physically and mentally traumatised.

 _Both options made him sick to the stomach; and it didn't help that he was the one to try and break past Hiccup's defensive walls. He called out quietly, making no sudden moves when the Humanblaka's head whipped up from its place on the cold floor. Still muzzled, his eyes narrowed into thin, untamed and blank slits, and a tiny whisper of a growl escaped his scratched, lightly bleeding throat._

After that, so weak that he'd been colder, paler and stiller than icy rock. Then came the withdrawal, although that still remained.

It wasn't that rare to come in at night, his room in darkness, and find him in the most depressing and heart-shattering of states. He would be curled up or in a fetal position, as he pressed his forehead against the wall, eyes often filled with tears, fixed on the wall, not to be moved. He would be sobbing and shaking violently, and not quietened by any comfort, only when he cried himself to sleep.

"Silus... You okay?" Kuornos asked, and the man shook his head, confused. His eyes were slightly watery, and he realised with a start he had been blanking out. He slumped and sighed, nodding silently as his gaze washed over Hiccup once again.

 _Oh, Hiccup... He thought. What have they done to you?_

 **Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO**

 **Next Chapter:**

 **Chapter 32: Dying at my Claws**

 **A/N: Emm... Hehe... Sorry 'bout all the angsty-ness and torture lately... IT'S A DARK TIME, PEOPLE! DEAL WITH IT! XD**

 **But, either way, I think I'm quite content with this chapter. Lots of hurt/comfort for you folks, and HOLY THOR, it's my longest chapter of TIW yet... Sorry, I just love the angst, H/C, and the comfort...**

 **We're fangirls/boys. It's an occupational hazard.**

 **Just a quick apology for the lateness, and the lack of content from me as of late. This goes for my other stories, more than TIW, so to speak. I do think that AFIS &F will be updated sooner than later, though, so yeah. There you go. Also... I have one new story in particular that'll be coming soon... The title? 'Attack On Titan'. Yes. I took that from the anime I pretty much know NOTHING about... **

**What? It's cool, badass, attractive, and works with the story!**

 **DRAGONITES UNITE!**

 **-Crystallion12.**

 **References/Glossary-**

 **[1]- Temperature Overdrive (TO)- A medical state within dragons, and Humanblakas, mostly found in the latter. It occurs when the individual is treated to a excess amount of heat, or cold, and can kill rather easily. It is then followed by randomised effects, sometimes lasting for a few seconds, to years of a individual's life.**

 **[2]- Temperature Overdrive Relapse (TOR)- A medical state within dragons, and Humanblakas, but is incredibly more dangerous and common within the latter. A sub-state of a _Temperature Overdrive_ , as its name implies, it is the agonising, repetitive return of TO, that is known to last for a few hours, to weeks at a time. This condition is much more like a _Temperature Imbalance_ , as it is always a battle of lethal temperatures, that can be treated and managed to the healer's best abilities. Like most Humanblaka medical conditions, magic is useless against the bodily function as it confusedly tries to regain composure.**

 **Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO**


	37. Chapter 32- Dying at my Claws

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **SUMMARY –** **They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own HttyD. Rights go to Respective Owners.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **NOTICES:**

 **-Questions in reviews will be answered on the forum, to the best of my ability and within my spoiler range, just a heads up.**

 **-Poll is closed. The winner, at seven votes, is _Shadow Rider_ , followed by _InSaNiTY_ , and _Kingdom of Dragons_. Thanks to everyone who participated and voted, it truly means so much to me! Expect some angsty badass Hiccup in the future!**

 **-The Part Two Finale, Chapter 35, 'And The Battle Rages On' will be in three chapters! Get ready and hold onto your tails and scales, my lovely Dragonites!**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 _ **Pietersielie-**_ **Well, I have answered your questions the best I can on the TIW Forum, if you want to see. It's certainly makes for a shorter response on the chapter, haha. But yeah, haven't gotten any nicer to Hiccup. I'll be dead by the end of Part Two, I bet... Oh dear, my bad. XD Thanks for the review! Was this release quick enough...?**

 _ **NeonArt1-**_ **Aww, thanks pal! I'm so happy you're that into TIW- even more so if you got to here!** **(Taken from review on Chapter 9)**

 **As always, thanks to every one of you- I love you all, and all your support and dedication is amazing!**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **WARNING : Most content ahead is for Mature Audiences only. Viewer discrimination is advised. Gruesome blood and gore, strong violence, frequent language, and other mild adult themes await. If you have a sensitive stomach or are a young reader below a suitable age, you should turn away. There are other nice, cheery fluffy fanfics.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 32: Dying at my Claws**

 **-Queen Scarlet's Fortress, Valley of Echoes, Midgard. Nightfall, 14years-5months-17days after Hiccup's death.**

Her eyes glinted, watching the prisoners below. It was the new moon, which, of course, meant the next slave rotation had taken place. She grinned savagely, rows of razor sharp teeth shining in the menacing red firelight, and her talons tapped against the cold stone of the ledge she laid on. She had grown even bigger, stronger and deadlier during the years, now towering over Bewilderbeasts, at least three times bigger. She laughed at that.

"MOVE IT!" Humming at the sound of a Rotation Manager's shout, she looked down. Perched on tall pillars surrounding the ring were beasts of men and dragon, but not Humanblakas.

They were Lycanwings.

Her secret weapons. Even if she had a lot of those.

Despite both of them being part of the _Dragon-Humanoid_ family, or, as some called it, 'Anthro-Dragons', they and Humanblakas didn't share all that many similarities.

They were much larger, varying in size from as large as a house to as small as a dwarf, during their life-span, which was unknown, as was most of their existence. Having a relatively similar structure of a human, they had two long legs, and two strong forearms. Their waist down was full-on scales, and in their feet had sharp claws instead of toes, their fingers a lot sharper, their nails merging with the fingertip and creating clicking noises when on stone or a smooth surface.

Two, generally huge and terrifyingly sharp wings were sprouted from their backs, and a tail came from the backside of the Lycanwings.

Their heads held a humanoid shape, although it was hugely altered, with full-on dragon eyes, a scaly outwards snout, and multiple rows of blade-like, lethally sharp teeth. They had no hair, except for the 'Queen' of their kind, but that was just a myth.

However, similarities basically ended there.

Other than the occasional set of armour her blacksmiths provided, or they crafted themselves, they wore nothing on their bodies. Their skin came in a few colours according to genetics and ranking in society, and was rock hard, resistant to almost any weapon outside those of Gods or Shur'tugalar.

In nature, they were downright lethal; vicious, and bloodthirsty. They liked to hunt and toy with their prey, before brutally ripping them to shreds, and eating the meat, right down to the tiniest scraps on the bone.

Once in a fight, nothing stopped a Lycanwing. They knew no mercy or righteousness, living by the ways of untamed beasts. Despite this, they were exceptionally intelligent, although they couldn't speak human tongue, instead making growls, clicks and hisses with their forked tongues and making gestures with their lithe, muscular, threatening bodies. And they did understand who was boss, and reigned supreme, as Scarlet had drilled into them. Although, she would occasionally punish them for fighting one another; Lycanwings were independent beasts, almost never working together, unless there was a mass attack to their race, or a massive hunt was on.

The only true flaw Scarlet could see, was their lack of magic, or use of weapons. They DID have venom, and a type of fire, though, both factors Humanblakas didn't possess. This made her smile, eyeing the beasts twitch and hiss at the prisoners below.

They all belonged to _her_...

She turned her attention to the slaves. "Guard," the Queen spat, as the nervous man stepped forward, "How many are down there?"

"Four hundred and ninety-one, your majesty." He reported.

"Two hundred and eighty-six are mortal humans we took with us from the combined villages of Aeros and Tekkauro. One hundred and thirty tw- never mind, make that one hundred and thirty one- are dragons from the last nest you destroyed." He winced, eyeing the dragon, who had just dropped dead from blood-loss. "...Mostly consisting of Poison-Darters, Eight-Legged Nadders, Hobblegrunts, some Flashfangs, a Snub-Nosed Hellsteether here and there, and I think there were some Windstrikers... Oh, and a couple of Lunarwings **[OCDS 3]** down there."

She nodded, and laid one paw over the other, lacing her talons, watching as her red scales glinted, and her rings gleamed. "Oh, isn't it just lovely...?" She marvelled the sight below.

As he frowned and opened his mouth to speak, she gave a sweet smile and a gentle bat of the eyelids. "And don't disagree, then I'll have to kill you." He went silent, and nodded repeatedly, and hesitantly spoke up.

"But... Your highness, not to say anything, but just as a ridicules statement..." Her eyes narrowed slightly, but the dragon was listening. "Isn't it all a bit, I dunno... Cruel?"

Queen Scarlet laughed.

"Of course it is, darling! What ever made you think it wasn't? Oh, you guards, always make me crack up sometimes..."

She shook her massive head, looking back at the Rotation.

The concept was simple; they would circle the pillar In the middle for the whole night, exposed to the moon which would tempt their minds to slip into nothing, with the help of some clever drugs her scientists had created.

Although, that clearly wasn't enough, so she had them chained to the prisoner closer to the pillar, who was chained TO the pillar, connecting it all. Each slave was already safely secured and shackled, so they wouldn't escape, obviously. She then had the Lycanwings to take watch and stance, being extra menacing, dark, and cruel, making sure they didn't talk or scream, especially when someone kicked or whipped them to move faster or get up.

There were multiple Rotations around the Fort. This was actually one of the smaller ones, to be honest.

Well, she did have to keep all her prisoners and slaves _somewhere_ , did she not?

Suddenly, her eyes narrowed, and she looked behind her at the guard, standing there rather awkwardly. "You have been dismissed, filthy mortal. Get out of my sights." He nodded, running away as fast as his two tiny legs would carry his pathetic life.

She sighed, and relaxed once more, chortling in delight as one of the Lycanwings decided he'd gotten sick of one human child's complaining, and descended upon the 7 seven year old with talons outstretched. She watched as claws raked down her chest and throat, and it bit open her stomach, tugging out her intestines and swallowing them whole. It ripped out her tongue, licking it as if it was some sweet treat, and then chewing on it as he proceeded to rip off limbs and pull out guts, drinking blood as it gushed and poured. Howls of laughter and annoyance ran from each beast, and a few even tried to get some meat themselves, only to be growled at and chased off.

"Ohhh _Boys...!_ " The dragoness called out, and they looked up, narrow and thin slits dilating slightly in acknowledgement.

She waved her golden talons about carelessly.

They looked at one another, growling and chirping darkly, before spreading their wings and taking off, flapping to their perches and crouching down as always, wings gripped onto the stone edges.

The few slaves who weren't brainwashed or blind stared at it all with horror, staring as the dead girl continued to bleed endlessly, the remaining the guts hanging out, shredded like her body. A couple dragons, in their moon flashed trance, tried to come closer, and settle their empty stomachs, even if the meal was downright disgusting.

A single Lycanwing raised its long, scaly neck to the sky, and sucked in a cold breath of air. Those who heard or saw screeched and cried out in horror, blocking out sound the best they could. The beast let loose a ear-splitting shriek; quite literally. Screams ravaged across the area, as slaves went deaf, and ears burst and exploded bloodily from the lethal sound. Not bothered in the slightest, Scarlet cackled, and flicked her talons, ordering them to continue, as she slithered into the mouth of the cave behind her.

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **-Queen Scarlet's Chambers, Queen Scarlet's Fortress, Valley of Echoes, Midgard. Midnight, 14years-5months-17days after Hiccup's death.**

Drago Bludvist stood by his dragon's side, watching as the Shur'tugal, bent over his knees, panted softly. The man was beaten and bloodied, his crimson wings cut off and his tail stabbed until it was paralysed, the spines ripped out of their bones. His dark hair had fallen over his eyes, dull and void of life.

"Such a pity..."

Queen Scarlet padded over regally, holding her head high, as her scarlet scales speckled with blood shimmered.

"I did like you, and now, you're going to die..."

She raised a single gold talon, resting it under the Humanblaka's chin, lifting his head so their eyes met.

Stroking her claw along his jawline, she smiled as he moaned in pain, no doubt from the line of blood in the claw's wake. She held it at his chin, pricking through the skin as a drop of blood ran down her talon, and slowly dripped onto her chamber's floor.

Drago watched silently, eyeing the wings on the floor. His lip curled in disgust, and in the back of his mind, a old memory tugged painfully.

The day _h_ e lost _his_ wings and tail. It had been painful then, but now, it was just a throbbing agony.

Deathstar crooned gently in his mind, one pupil closest to him dilating. His rider sighed heavily, reaching up and stroking the dragon's neck when their Queen wasn't watching. She'd have them both punished brutally if she found out their true affection towards one another- their grief-stricken, howling love of a Skulblaka and Shur'tugal- and knew just how much they wanted to just go home, back to Dracoris Anscesora.

But they both knew the answer to that. They would NEVER go back, not in a billion years. They were condemned to live in this Hel for the rest of their fucked-up _lives_.

Perhaps they should have questioned her more, the day they met, and she took them to her palace in the sky. Perhaps, they should have been happy to see their best friends, their team, of whom killed each other, because of _them_.

 _Perhaps_ , they shouldn't have been FUCKING _IDIOTS_.

But it was far too late for that. Instead, here they were, watching as Scarlet toyed with their captive Shur'tugal, before his gruesome demise...

"NOW," Scarlet hissed, and their heads whipped up. How long had they been in each other's minds? Judging by the looks on both of their faces, it must have been going on for at least a good dozen minutes or so. "Any questions?"

Drago couldn't resist his eyes widening, his pupils narrowing for what felt like the first time in an eternity.

Scarlet didn't notice, rather, she was inspecting her claws.

With one long swipe, she raked her talons over his back, ripping his shirt free and slicing through skin. The Humanblaka screamed in agony, and blood flowed down his back like a waterfall, pooling at his sides and dripping down his bowed head, soaking his matted black hair.

 _I don't know... If I can watch this..._ Drago mumbled to his partner quietly, and Deathstar stared at him in bewilderment and confusion, reaching out to create a mental link. _I can kill in battle, I can torture, it's just... This isn't..._ His eyes searched the ground, as if it held the answers beneath the stone. _I don't know what's overcome me, Deathstar... Why... What..._

She grabbed his neck in her paw, shoving him down to ground, and hissing nasty obscenities and magical curses and spells in his ear as he writhed in agony and shouted.1

 _It's called guilt..._ Deathstar said quietly, his deep voice now filled with what could stand comfortable next to remorse. _And I'm feeling it too..._ He averted his gaze from the bloody mess across from them, instead nuzzling his soul-mate gently on the back-shoulder, directly where his left wing joint once was.

They watched it all.

They stood and watched, as their Queen bit and clawed him, shoved him, thwacked him, and even brought in some Lycanwings to rip away his arm and tear open his side.

They watched the bloody carnage of his torturing, before his death. Both Shur'tugal and Skulblaka could hear the man's dragon screech in desperation and agony, no doubt fighting against the chains to try and save her precious rider.

"It's all over now, Shur'tugal..." She hissed, lowering her neck to his level and laughing shortly after. "Any last words...?"

"No..." He spat, and looked up, a small fire in his eyes, as a earth-shattering roar shook the earth.

"Just those two."

And the Fort turned to chaos, and his life into the emptiness of death, as war broke out and _they_ arrived.

 **Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO**

 **To Be Continued in:**

 **Chapter 34: Born to Fight and Die**

 **Next Chapter:**

 **Chapter 33: Murder In The Moonlight**

 **A/N: Hehe... No spoilers... And oh, I'm making you wait a chapter to discover the rest of this particular plot-twist...**

… **.And just who died. Like I said, NO SPOILERS!**

 **I DARE you to sleep after reading that Cliff-hanger. That mostly applies to you, Pietersielie.**

 **-Crystallion12.**

 ** **OC Dragon Species (OCDS):****

 ** **OCDS-3: Lunarwing –**** ** _Mystery_** _ _Class. Located in the Skies and High Peaks of cold regions. 88 % Female, 12 % Male, 00 % Genderless.__ _A relatively large dragon, with a sleek, aerodynamic figure, a long tail, and huge wings. Their lives generally last for about 200 years. Mostly females, the leader of the flocks are always males, and usually the only one among them. They live in a peaceful, quiet, tranquil manner, soaring the night skies. They are nocturnal, and sleep like bats in dark caves at the freezing tops of mountains. Colours are usually dark shades of blue and purple, or black, mixed with luminescent, glowing lilacs, blues, greens, yellows, oranges, and pinks. Their wings are translucent, usually blues or pinks, with flecks of silver in the membrane, and for males, gold._

 **Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO**


	38. Chapter 33- Murder In The Moonlight

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **SUMMARY –** **They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own HttyD. Rights go to Respective Owners.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **NOTICES:**

 **-Direct Questions in reviews will be answered on the forum, to the best of my ability and within my spoiler range, just a heads up.**

 **-The Part Two Finale, Chapter 35, 'And The Battle Rages On' will be in two chapters! Get ready and hold onto your tails and scales, my lovely Dragonites!**

 **-Keep your eyes peeled for a new TIW story! 'Just Like Fire' should be released soon! And I believe there are going to be quite a few who will be interested... Kinda answers some questions of yours, Pietersielie.**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 _ **kbryson**_ **[Guest]** ** _-_ Thanks! I'm glad you feel that way! :) Thanks for the review!**

 _ **The Shadow Fright Dragon**_ **\- (C.36) Hehe, yeah, he lives in agony... Poor Hiccup. FREE HUGS! And now, I'm curious to see if that follows up, regarding the events in the next chapter... (C.37) Oh, and I wouldn't say quick... Very painful, indeed... And yes, I do think the Lycanwings are a nice touch... Sadly, they won't play a huge role in TIW, but they will in other stories set in the AU. Thx for the reviews!**

 _ **Thearizona-**_ **Nope... But you'll have to read the next chappy to see who it was. ;) And yes, some serious battles. Thx for the review!**

 _ **NeonArt1**_ **\- (C.21) Hehe... I love my diggies. (C.26) Thanks! 'A New Beginning' took on a decently good kick-off for the story, raising some questions and keeping things in the dark to let people continue reafing to find out more... Thanks for the reviews!**

 _ **Pietersielie-**_ **(Already did forum link stuff) Well, questions are answered on the forum. BUT, if you what to know directly... Read the third notice above. That should help. As for Hiccup snapping? Well... It's something that is similar, so to speak. More of a 'hidden mental instability' he fights past to stay strong. Thx for the review, and sincere apologies for being so late with this.**

 **As always, thanks to every one of you- I love you all, and all your support and dedication is amazing!**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **WARNING : Content ahead, mainly in the _third section/after the third line break_ , is for Mature Audiences only. Viewer discrimination is advised. Strong violence, killing, blood and gore, as well as language is present. If you have a sensitive stomach or are a _young reader below_ a _suitable age_ , you should turn away. There are other nice, cheery fluffy fanfics.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 33: Murder in the Moonlight**

 **-North Forest, Raven Point, Berk, Barbaric Archipelago, Midgard. Sunset, Evening, 14years-5months-14days after Hiccup's death.**

"Razorwind!" Alestaira walked through the bush, pushing past branches and leaves. Jumping over a log, she huffed. That pesky, annoying, but somehow still well-loved and amazing Deadly Nadder was messing with her, _again_.

After another hour of searching blindly, she heard a familiar, and long overdue squawk. Gathering up all her frustration and releasing it in a single heave, she turned around, and blinked.

Nothing.

"Razor?"

A chortle came from above her, and with a groan, she looked up, and there she was.

Razorwind's gorgeous scales, gleaming and shining in the setting sun, left a ray of colours beaming down on her, and the young woman had to squint.

The Deadly Nadder landed, her beauty, for the hundredth time since they first met, taking Alastaira's breath away. The Nadder had bright, warm orange-yellow eyes, her snout a soft blue as her head was more violet. Down the back of her neck, and running along her spine, it was a hue of dark blue and purple, that got lighter as it reached her pale blue underbelly. As they progressed down, her feet were a violet that transferred into a hot pink. Her claws were an unusual, creamy white, and the entire underside of her wings followed that. Her projectile spines were a pale green.

Alestaira sighed in what could be described as disappointment, mixed in with amusement that she ever thought I'd be any different. "Oh, girl, you know, every time I see you, I lose my breath..." She stroked the dragon's head.

"Honestly, _what_ would I do without you?"

She got a hum in response, as her dragon eagerly stepped forward and pushed a scaly head into her beloved rider's arms.

The dragon gave her a soft growl, that almost translated into, 'You'd be missing your other half, that's what.'

They embraced again, enveloping one another's warmth and love.

Alestaira swung onto her dragon's back clipping herself onto the white, smart saddle, and peering up at the darkening skies. "What do you think, girl?" She asked, petting the dragon's neck as the Nadder spread her wings and released body weight into her strong legs.

"Wanna go for some quick laps around the island before we head home? Danas and Geldar won't be back for another hour, they're on patrol."

Alestaira grinned, smirking as she added the last part. "Without a _single_ boy in sight." Razorwind chirped happily in response, leaping into the crisp afternoon skies, pounding her magnificent wings against the strong breeze that guided them on their supposed merry way...

...To the fateful, and once thought ended, dangers that were ahead of them.

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **-North Forest, Raven Point, Berk, Barbaric Archipelago, Midgard. Night-time, 14years-5months-14days after Hiccup's death.**

"Come on, girl, it's getting late..." Alestaira groaned, seriously starting to get cross.

Her dragon had taken her to the forest, dropped her in a tree, and promptly prevented her from leaving; something that really pissed the young woman off. "Ugh, just let me go already!"

Razorwind shook her head, instead peering out into the dark forest yet again. Chirruping, the Nadder flinched slightly, and that was when Alestaira noticed the worry in her partner's eyes, noises and pose. Silenced, she looked down. Razorwind was just trying to protect her...

From what, she had no idea. Wild boars? A hostile dragon? Enemies? Honestly, she had no clue, nor idea.

But, judging by her dragon's absurd behaviour, it couldn't be good.

"I don't get a single bit of insight on this, do I...?" She muttered, sighing when the dragoness bobbed her head a little to answer. "Thought so... Typical..."

It must have been at least an hour or so, by the time Razorwind finally began to loosen up. While she was still veering on the edge of caution, her demeanour had generally returned to normal, and the Nadder had let her rider get up and into the saddle.

Sighing, Alestaira looked around. Nothing.

"See, girl?" She said to her dragon, patting her long neck. "Nothing to worry about."

Razorwind snorted in disbelief and arrogance, the spines on her tail ejecting slightly in annoyance and hesitance, her rider gesturing for her to take flight into the night skies. She didn't trust this world any more; it was a dark time, the Ancient Prophecy of the DragonBorn had apparently taken flight, now a very real thing.

Yet, nothing _good_ was happening. The 'Scarlet Queen' was on the move and working her evil acts of terror and death, but the legendary Shur'tugalar, their Skulblakas, and the Gods? They were doing _nothing_ to stop it!

"Whoa... Calm down, Razor! What's up with you today...?" She murmured the last part to herself, unaware of the approaching threat, hidden in the thick cover of the trees. Its strong limbs crushing twigs and foliage under its claws, yet making no sound whatsoever. Its deadly, vice-like jaws, filled with razor sharp teeth. Its fire, ready to incinerate; and she- more precisely, them- were completely oblivious to it.

And the Exterminators pounced, talons ready to tear them apart and excited to hear some much-wanted screams.

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **-North Forest, Raven Point, Berk, Barbaric Archipelago, Midgard. Dawn, Morning, 14years-5months-15days after Hiccup's death.**

"RAZOR, ALEX!" She called out upon Stormfly's back, cupping her hands around her mouth as she shouted.

Sighing, she slumped forward in the saddle, mumbling to herself. "Where are you two..."

Her dragon trilled, nudging her a bit with her head, brought around to face her. Astrid smiled weakly, stroking her beautiful, stunning blue and yellow Nadder's jaw.

Even after all these years, the duo was still incredibly fit and athletic, as gorgeous as ever with that young look. Although, to be honest, that seemed to be the case with all the riders. Even Stoick and Valka, now nearing their sixties in age, could still perform aerial stunts with their dragons and held a not-so-old stance.

It truly was a mystery- as was the fact that Mildew and Gothi were still alive. Now, THAT had them confused- and, respectively, on Mildew's part, absolutely infuriated.

"Come on, Stormy." She mumbled quietly, "We have to find them... We already lost Silus..." She frowned. "Of who we have no idea what really happened, other than Mildew's ridicules shit about another Night Fury."

The Tracker Class dragoness chortled, flapping strong against the chilly morning air.

Suddenly, Astrid's keen eye caught sight of something, that she found a little... Odd. She steered her dragon down towards the cliff, eyes widening and a gasp escaping them as it became more clear. Shocked and scared out of their minds, they merely landed, taking in the murder scene around them.

Blood, guts, and mangled limbs.

They returned to Berk silent that night, unable to bring it up to anyone, and instead just giving the blunt explanation of, 'they're dead, killed by a dragon', which most certainly wasn't wrong, and not much of a lie.

They doubted they would ever forget that day...

Although they found that it was a good thing they did. Because years and years later, it would come back... With a vengeance, and _Death's End_ **[1]**.

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **-Queen Scarlet's Fortress, Valley of Echoes, Midgard. Night-time, 14years-5months-18days after Hiccup's death.**

Silus groaned, and face-palmed. Typical of Hiccup and Toothless to _literally_ smash through a window to get to the single-most dangerous and evil dragon in all existence. With absolutely no hind or foresight, very little regard for their own safety, or reservations.

It wasn't out-of-character in the slightest, in full honesty, but still, being one of the best Captains among the Draconians and the Shur'tugalar, most would expect more from them.

Oh well. Too late now. He had a fight to attend to.

Aurora growled beneath him. The dragoness stared at the Fort, obviously worried and nervous. Silus rested a gloved hand on her thick neck, staring into her eyes.

Contact was broken, as loud explosions sounded, and three Hideous Zipplebacks emerged from where they had strategically hidden as guards and spies. They sprayed gas everywhere, igniting it with resonating _booms_ as screams and roars filled the air. Swords and weapons were slicing through the skies, heading straight for the Draconians and Asgardians. Cursing as a black _Limb Mangler_ **[2]** blade streaked past his dragon's wing, he kicked Aurora's side to get her moving, but she was one take-off ahead of her beloved rider.

He listened to the war cries of both sides, taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart as they descended upon the unsuspecting guards below. They were attempting to kill off the panicked, terrified slaves in that segment. With a growl of fury, Aurora opened her jaws wide, and fired at the massacre.

Silus watched, face emotionless and expression blank as they burned to death in his partner's bright green flames, tinted with blue in the centre.

He locked himself into the same pattern he'd been drilled into; push aside his feelings in the fight.

So, that's just what he did. Jumping off the Skulblaka's back, he dove towards the Rotation, screeching a Night Fury's cry before he slammed up, striking an armoured Snafflefang square in the chest, mid-taking flight.

The dragon screamed, bones shattering as it was smashed into the ground, its hind leg ripping off in a bloody, snapped mess at the sheer drive and force. It died quickly from the bleeding.

He looked up, just in time to see the attacking Firewing, heading straight at the Shur'tugal. He back-flipped swiftly, and lashed out with a foot, striking it across the chest. It crashed where he previously was with a resounding thud, watching with horror and fear as Silus jumped over it, bashing its skull brutally with his tail while he moved elegantly with danger. Blood escaping the fatal, instant-kill wound, he touched down as light as a feather.

He grunted, staring at the dead beast, and whipped around to fend off against two approaching men.

For one, he snapped the neck, a quick kill, but the other suffered a sharp contrast, as Silus ripped his waist off and below with a lethally fast slice from a wing-claw, and then kicked him strong in the stomach. The man hurled up his guts, blood flowing out in one massive swig; the sight left a bitter taste on his tongue, and he thoughtfully pushed it aside. Silus could have just ripped his throat out _manually_ , with his _teeth_ alone, and that was much worse.

Spreading his wings, he took to the darkened skies, launching upwards to survey the fight.

It was going well in their favour, Scarlet's forces completely unprepared for the ambush. He let a faint, almost savage smile tug at his lips. That was good, _very_ good indeed...

He tilted his flight, heading in a bee-line for his dragon, who was fighting off about three Lycanwings in pretty panicked motions, and struggling. Upon sighting the beasts, his eyes widened. Since when did Scarlet have _Lycanwings_ in her possession?!

 _Well, don't just HOVER in place!_ Aurora snapped, casting a glance at her rider in the sky.

He snarled, launching himself at one of the strange beasts. Silus would openly admit it; he had never fought a Lycanwing before. Not a lot had... They were supposed to be extinct, killed off one way or another- the variable seemed to be different from every perspective. Regardless, the stories were true about one thing, at least...

They. Were. _Terrifying_. And fuck, were they a challenge to beat.

He could barely remember much of the brief fight; he could recall kicking and punching some, biting and snapping, not using his sword a lot.

Then it slammed his head to the ground, and everything just became a dizzy whirl of colours.

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **-Queen Scarlet's Fortress, Valley of Echoes, Midgard. Dawn, 14years-5months-18days after Hiccup's death.**

 _Sheesh..._ Crimseara growled, lashing out at another guard who was so foolish to try and cut her rider out the air with a arrow. _What is with these soldiers and attacking my legs?_

Roaring, karma- and the guard's sword- slashed her ankle, and she reached down, easily biting his head off. She snorted, blood filling her mouth and fountaining from the man's neck as the corpse collapsed. Growling, the dragon spat out the head, and gathered fire from her maw to burn some passing dragon's flank and thigh in the sky.

It immediately got rid of the taste, and she snorted, rearing up on her hind legs as a couple of soldiers swooped down to attack her.

Blasting one half with flames to the mouths, igniting the gas and killing them from the inside, and tearing the others apart in her jaws, she held back the urge to assist her soul-mate. Aloysius was struggling to fight off two menacing Lycanwings. They were ganging up on him, with the advantage of numbers, striking hard and furiously with no remorse.

She let loose a side torrent of flame his way, striking one of the winged men. Snarling and attention off, it gave Aloysius just the right opportunity to snap its neck, before locking into a brutal tumble with the other.

Crimseara sucked in her breath. This wasn't going to be pretty.

 **Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO**

 **Next Chapter:**

 **Chapter 34: Born to Fight and Die**

 **A/N: Well, I'll keep this short. I want to apologise for the recent lack of updates on TIW- I just couldn't find the words to type up in this one, and in the end, I added two more sections, just so it had a reasonable chunk of content. Violent and gory content, but content none the less... Oh. And the next chapter is basically finished, should be up quite soon, either in a couple of hours, or tomorrow. Depends, no promises gang.**

 **As for why I haven't just _generally_ beenaround, other than reviewing/reading things on the archive, well, it's kinda consisting of two factors; one, I'm having general complications in life, particularly friendships. Two; I've got this effing cold that's driving me insane. -_-**

 **Dragonites Unite! LESS THAN A WEEK UNTIL RTTE S3 ARRIVES! WHOOOOOO HOOO! JUMP ABOARD THE HYPE TRAIN, FOLKS!**

 **-Crystallion12.**

 **Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO**

 **- References-**

 **[1]- Death's End-** The name of the 'This Is War' Sequel, the Second Book in 'The DragonBorn' Series, set in the TIW AU. It will be followed up by 'Ragnarok' (TBC).

 **[2]- Limb Mangler-** A horrific, shiny and black weapon, about the size of a average sized plate. It was created by an Ancient, Humanblaka & Dragon hating civilisation centuries ago- it consists of three dangerously sharp blades that split apart mid-air at blinding speeds, cutting through anything and everything; it is specialised and specifically designed to decimate limbs, as its name implies.


	39. Chapter 34- Born To Fight And Die

This is War

'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'

 **RATED – T – Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **GENRE - Dark themed – Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **SUMMARY –** **They thought he was dead. As the Scarlet Queen began her reign of terror, all seemed lost, the light sucked into the dark, freedom never to be felt again... But he's coming to end the fight. Darkness shall cower, as a dragon blacker than night, upon his back a man with wings, returns. And he cries out the warning, to the good and the evil... This is War.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own HttyD. Rights go to Respective Owners.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **NOTICES:**

 **-Questions in reviews will be answered on the forum, to the best of my ability and within my spoiler range, just a heads up.**

 **-The Part Two Finale, Chapter 35, 'And The Battle Rages On' is the next, and last chapter of TIW, Part Two, 'Over The Years'! Get ready and hold onto your tails and scales, my fellow lovely Dragonites! It's gettin' tense!**

 **-Keep your eyes peeled for a new TIW story! 'Just Like Fire' should be released soon! And I believe there are going to be quite a few who will be interested... Kinda answers some questions of yours, Pietersielie.**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 _ **aslan333-**_ **Thanks! Nice to see your username pop up again! ;)**

 _ **Nightfurylov3r-**_ **Hehe, yup! Although I'm afraid you have to pay for Netflix... XD** ****

 _ **PS- Please read the Important Notice at the end of the A/N. Thank you.**_

 _ **AquaJinx-**_ **ONTO DE HYPE TRAIN!**

 _ **PS- Please read the Important Notice at the end of the A/N. Thank you.**_

 _ **The Shadow Fright Dragon-**_ **Yup... RIP Nelector and Ruby... We'll get to see them in JLF... And then people re-read this and be like,** ** _D'';_ Thanks! Although it's better in this one and the finale... Hehe... Oh, and we will see more of the _Limb Mangler_ , and the straight-up _Mangler_ , in future battle scenes. Yeah. Crimsy should be- she's been a Skulblaka for about a century now, she's seen it all. The good, the bad, the ugly, and the absolute, f***** up s***. And I agree, all dragons are cut- *looks at the Arachnis dragon* NEVER MIND, EVERYBODY RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! Thx for the review!**

 **As always, thanks to every one of you- I love you all, and all your support and dedication is amazing!**

 **IMPORTANT: If you are a REVIEWER, or a user/guest that INTENDS to review, please read the last part of the A/N. It's important to me, and many others out there. Thank you for listening to this. I hope you understand.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **WARNING : Content ahead is for Mature Audiences only. Viewer discrimination is advised. Constant, nasty blood and gore, strong violence, VERY frequent language, and other mild adult themes await. If you have a sensitive stomach or are a young reader below a suitable age, you should turn away. There are other nice, cheery fluffy fanfics.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **Chapter 34: Born to Fight and Die**

 **-Queen Scarlet's Fortress, Valley of Echoes, Midgard. Night-time, 14years-5months-18days after Hiccup's death.**

War had broken out of her walls.

Queen Scarlet roared in fury, spreading her huge wings in bloodthirsty loathing. She whipped around to face the frozen Drago and Deathstar, roaring in their faces. "GET OUT THERE! OUT!"

They yelped, stumbling slightly, and flew out without a hesitation to make.

She turned to the Shur'tugal, just staring out the window. Her teeth bared, and she stormed forward, her long tail lashing across the stone floor. "YOU PLANNED THIS!" She bellowed and struck out with a claw, raking across his stomach as blood flooded out of him. Gasping and doubling over, he panted.

"Actually..." He said quietly, "I didn't even know they were here until just then."

"LIES!" She raised her claws, and was just about to bring it down, when a loud crash sounded.

Huge, terrifying and roaring nearly as loud as Deathstar on a bad day, the black Skulblaka smashed through the glass window and walls, upon his back a man with dragon wings and a tail.

They snarled, and landed, sword brandished, and claws outstretched. "Too late, Hiccup."

Laughing, she slashed the Humanblaka's neck, watching as his figure went limp and blood gushed out like a flood.

Bone snapped and popped, sticking out as sinews and strands of veins spilled on the floor. A dragon's screams could be heard down the halls, as well as the breaking and snapping of chains restraining it's body.

Their eyes widened, and they launched forward, landing on her neck.

She snapped and roared as the dragon's massive figure brought her down, but not by much, and she got him off easily. They ducked under her swiping tail, and jumped over her paw, the rider even managing to make a long cut on her ankle. Moving just as fast as she'd expected from the Captains, she frowned in concentration, crouching low to fight on even ground. Even then, though, she still towered over Toothless, who looked rather small and miniature compared to the Queen.

"You killed him!" Hiccup screeched, from where he was sat on his partner's back. His voice was full of icy rage, dripping with venom and yet, brimmed with terrible grief.

She chortled lightly. "Oh, yes, I did. Seriously, no one told you...?" Her scales and claws glinted in the light, and in the backdrop, screams and swords clashing, talons ripping and teeth shredding could be heard. Neither side paid any heed to it. "Ugh, what's with the news lately? I must say, it's been getting _awfully_ lazy and terrible... Don't you agree?"

 _NOTHING is more fucking terrible than YOU, devil...!_ Toothless roared, his pupils in tiny slits. Hiccup cast a sad look at the fallen man, which only fuelled his anger, for when they leaped two seconds later, straight at her snout.

Latching on, Toothless bit down, and suddenly, wasn't so toothless any more.

Teeth bared, razor sharp and unsheathed, dug through Scarlet's jewel-hard scales with some resistance, and she roared, shaking her large, blood red head.

A loud hiss formed in her throat, and a moment later, she let loose a long jet of orange flame, striking every wall of the room and setting it alight.

Toothless screeched, dropping down and hissing in pain. Lifting one paw, he growled in annoyance. Every time she breathed fire, it heated up her snout and made her scales burn three times hotter than that of a Fireworm Queen dragon's scales, when at their hottest temperature. Steam rose from his scales, charred and exposing deep wounds.

Scarlet lifted her long neck, roaring loudly, and more simultaneous screeches sounded down the halls.

The doors burst open, just as a huge explosion rocked the earth from the wall. Hiccup yelped, thrown out of the saddle to the far wall. Snaps and cracks rang in his ears, and pain shot through his body, stars dancing in his vision. Groaning, his wings spread, and he stilled his tail for balance. He was sure things were broken, just his luck- he blinked, smoke clouding his vision, stinging his eyes and making him cough violently as his eyes darted around to try and find his Skulblaka.

 _TOOTHLESS!_ He yelled in the dragon's mind, and got a loud, furious cry in return.

 _Bud, where are you? What the fuck happened?! Are you okay?_ He yelped in pain, but managed to stand, muffling groans down his throat. Time to man up, forget the nine days he spent awake with no rest before this whole attack.

 _Yeah, a little burned and bloodied, that's all!_ Toothless remarked, just as he howled, and a thud echoed, multiple war cries sounding. Hiccup's pupils narrowed, and he shot up faster than a Green Thunder, and blazed forward. _AH, FUCK! Ouch! HEY! STOP CHEATING!_ The Humanblaka spun around, ducked and skidded under a falling and burning pillar, to find that Toothless being unfairly assaulted by about two dozen soldier dragons. He paused, screeching to a halt with heels planted into the ground, and groaned inwardly.

 _Oh, seriously, Bud? Surely you can do better!_ Toothless roared his frustration and indigence, calling for his help. He sighed, and drew his sword, charging forward, ignoring the pain in his ribs and abdomen.

He struck down the nearest soldier, a lousily hitting Eruptodon. It roared as his blade sliced into his side, cutting through the wing, back and spine, flank, and straight down to its foot. Piercing through the armour, hide of scales, and flesh, it sliced through bone and organs, which promptly splatted out, as its screams turned into bloody gurgles. The black blade sliced into his neck, cutting through the armour like butter and severing its head from its torso.

Blinking quickly In annoyance as his now-extremely-dead victim's blood sprayed on him, all over and on his face, he snorted, and moved on to the next.

He tore through the next dragon (rather literally) biting down into its neck and ripping the throat out. He punched the next one in its snout first, breaking multiple bones, before swinging his body onto its back, grabbing hold of the neck and twisting it, so it broke with a sickening snap.

Groaning as pain shot up into his back, he spun around and back-flipped off the falling dragon's back, breaking into a somersault when he reached the end of the Monstrous Nightmare's tail. Turns out, that a incredibly foolish Firewing with pale orange scales had rammed into him, and had clamped its jaws around one of his scaly black wings.

Hiccup snarled, eyes scarily narrow, as he twisted himself completely around, and flipped off the ground as he landed.

Using his wing's position to his advantage, and grudgingly accepting it'd now be twisted and dislocated, he flung his body around so his foot landed in its neck, and his tail rammed into its side, the spines piercing through all layers and lodging themselves in the flesh. Grunting, he tugged, tearing the spines free, and seas of blood shot out, drenching his torso to his thighs in heavy, sticky blood.

Snorting, he shook his head of the blood and guts that had basically been poured all over him, he leaped at a dragon, about to pounce on Toothless' leg.

He decided to make it quick, instead just pinning it down, and grabbing hold of the Sand Nadder's head, shoving one foot down on the base of the neck to secure the soldier. He took one long breath, and raised his fist, coming down with a audible crushing and cracking noise of its skull heard over the roaring flames and dragons.

The Shur'tugal found himself just staring at its dead face for a moment, gazing into its terrified, still eyes, as its mouth was drooped in the knowing that everything would soon be over for him, even if it was a shit life like this.

 _OKAY, WE'RE DONE!_ Toothless crowed, lifting his head, drenched and dripping with sticky red blood.

Hiccup blinked, and got off the dead Nadder, looking around cautiously; flames were licking the walls, and at least a dozen soldiers lay mangled and dead around them. Hiccup, deciding to not comment on the slaughter, turned on the hell, looking around for the fallen Humanblaka. They soon found the dying man, laid out underneath a board of burning wood.

Not particularly caring that it burned his hands, Hiccup shoved It away, and lowered himself onto his wings and legs, his bloodied tail flopped on the floor behind him.

Whimpering, he lowered his upper torso, stretched down his neck, and whimpered, inches away from his friend's bloodied, burned chest.

"Nelector..."

He helplessly whispered the man's name, his nudge turning into a faint bump as he realised.

Toothless crooned, stepping forward and joining Hiccup by his side. He nudged the limp rider, hope fading. Hiccup's pupils dilated, and he reached out with his hand, placing it on Veletor's cheek as if the man would somehow wake up.

But never again, would he wake.

He was dead.

Swallowing, he stepped back, and got onto his feet. Grimacing as he heard multiple screeches and footsteps approaching, he passed one look to the rider.

 _We need to get out of here..._ He said quietly, and Toothless warbled in response, offering his back.

Toothless snorted, grabbing a random name to use. _No shit, Sherlock._

 _What?_ Hiccup stared. _Who's Sherlock?_

 _No idea._

Sighing, and shaking his head before swinging into the saddle, he shoved his legs through the loops on the straps of the saddle, held onto the spine in front of him, and wrapped his tail around one behind him. Guards began filing in, weapons raised and fire ready. The black Skulblaka snarled, crouching down and getting ready to charge.

Blood-curdling screeches tore through the Hallway, and screams could be heard as the pair's heads shot up.

Nelector's dragon, Ruby, emerged into the burning room, green eyes glowing in her fury, as purple flames gathered in her throat and let loose almost immediately. Her talons lashed out faster than lightning. Hiccup and Toothless merely stood in their places, quiet, watching the bloody, violent massacre of guts, heads, limbs, and... the other things.

 _Well, that certainly solves one... Problem..._ Toothless mumbled, and his rider nodded.

Hiccup raised his sword, ready to leap in and help her, when the last guard dropped dead. Blood pouring out three long gashes across its stomach, its guts sliding free and plopping on the floor with distinctive splats. Ruby lifted her head, snarling and grunting. She shared a remorseful farewell glance with the two, and ran to her fallen rider, collapsing with a grieving roar.

 _Come on, Bud..._

They turned tail, springing into the air and out the smashed window. Within the room, the dragon slowly died, her heart, soul and mind shattered.

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **-Queen Scarlet's Fortress, Valley of Echoes, Midgard. Night-time, 14years-5months-18days after Hiccup's death.**

Leaping into the battle with a thunderous shriek, Toothless descended upon the nearest squadron of soldiers, each one a mortal human.

He landed among them as they scattered in panic, shouting and yelling.

Those soon turned into screams as Toothless lashed out brutally with his tail, swiping a dozen to the ground with sickening snaps and bloody splats. Roaring, his neck snaked around, and grabbed two in his jaws, snapping them together and slicing the men in half, their armour crunching and bones shattering under the vice-like grip and sheer force of the dragon's jaws.

As he did this, Hiccup used the close range to strike out, hitting soldiers with his wing and slashing the nearer enemies with his sword. He expertly ducked low against Toothless as the dragon shot a large stream of blue flames from his maw.

The heat made him flinch slightly, the ground set alight and screams filled the air.

By now, most of Scarlet's forces had realised they were now involved, and had changed their course to attack their possibly only chance at freedom. Hiccup's eyes narrowed, watching as archers stringed their bows and swords were raised. Battle cries of so many tribes and origins were being shouted; fear reflected in their eyes; and pain was shown in every step.

 _I hate this..._ Hiccup muttered quietly, and in a flash, slipped his sword into its sheath across his back, and drew his bow, thoughtfully taking five arrows from his quiver and stringing it in incredible efficiency and speed.

Not even waiting, and not needing to choose his targets, he shot down soldier by soldier endlessly, as his dragon attacked each and every foe that tried to hurt him and his rider.

Raising his voice, Hiccup yelled out telepathically. _TEAM 1, RESPOND!_

Toothless merely grunted in response, entering the mental conversation stream. Soon, Silus, Aurora, Kuornos, Voarex, Lucy, and Saphyrx had joined, each reporting their attendance, using their respective code names.

Saphyrx chuckled, the sound of splatting guts accidentally broke through her outside world muting. They complained at the dragoness, and Hiccup rolled his eyes, stabbing a man who had jumped carelessly off his horse at them. Probably one of those sad, suicidal soldiers. He made sure he was using the blue dragon's Code Name. _Okay, that was lousy, RaRa._

 _Oh, hush now..._ Saphyrx- otherwise, and in that particular situation, _RaRa_ \- growled, as the sound was once again silenced.

Voarex, with the Code Name of _Darkcloud,_ spoke up. _Oh, we all know that was on purpose._

 _Shut the fuck up, Darkcloud_. Lucy snapped. _Death Rider's upset. And aren't we supposed to be fighting a war here?_

 _We are._ Hiccup- Code Named _Death Rider_ \- mumbled. _Veletor and Ruby were killed._

Silence overtook the conversation stream, and one by one, each one of the team slipped away, concentrating on the fight they were battling. Hiccup shook off the thought weighing him down, instead locking his focus on killing some bitchy soldiers.

He shot another twenty or so with arrows, the heads made of the same black metal of their armour, (which they had promptly cast aside in their haste to get here) and tipped in Seithr Oil, the most deadly of poisons, made from the ancient plant. For millions of years, it had been thought extinct, but a batch was recently found, and used to create a brand new weapon that only the Shur'tugalar possessed. Obviously, they had placed magic spells on them, preventing any one else to use it for evil.

Now _that_ there, had happened _way_ too many times...

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **-Queen Scarlet's Fortress, Valley of Echoes, Midgard. Morning, 14years-5months-20days after Hiccup's death.**

Hiccup steered Toothless higher, dodging waves of arrows and even the occasional Limb Mangler along the way. The constant aerial manoeuvres, often fast and sharp, sickened his stomach a bit, having not eaten much the last week, and the fact he had been (somewhat) forced to use his own teeth to tear apart victims the last day or so when he had forgotten his sword in a dragon's belly, which took three hours of slicing and kicking to get back to the spot.

The fight had been going on for ages, at least a day or two, he had sort of forgotten, and he was exhausted. So was Toothless, and everyone else. Backup from Asgard and Valhalla had arrived, but it didn't change all that much.

 _Arghhh..._ Toothless groaned, linking their minds. _When the fuck is this over, again?_ He said the last part with a type of sarcasm that made him frown.

 _No idea..._ Hiccup grunted as he twisted on side to avoid being skewered by an arrow. Instead, he got a nasty, bleeding but relatively shallow cut. Go figure. _I just hope it's soon, you're hurt and exhausted. Say, where's Nightstar and Aeros?_

Toothless shrugged, then growled a bit. _Hey, you're hurt more than I am. And I have no idea where they are._

Hiccup looked down on the battlefield, cursing a long line of obscenities. Aurora and Silus- otherwise known as _Nightstar_ (Aurora) and _Aeros_ (Silus) in their code names- were no where to be found, as usual. They were almost never around in battle, as fate liked it.

The Shur'tugal patted his companion's scaly neck, murmuring quietly. "Stay here, Deathdoom. I'm off to go find them."

Without waiting for a response, (as usual) Hiccup leaped off the dragon's back, spreading his wings. It burned with a million fires, probably because he ran into the wall to fix the dislocation, but he pushed it aside. Battle came first, pain came second. And then... Well, usually after that was a load of shit and bed rest.

Swooping over the war zone, he scanned his narrow eyes for their best friends. Fire flickered in his gaze, and glowed on his toned figure, and he inwardly hissed at the heat it presented openly.

Tilting upwards to avoid worse outcomes, Hiccup climbed in the sky with a grunt, pounding his wings to gain altitude.

No wind meant more power and less energy for later.

So that's what confused him for a split second, feeling a gust of air push against his side. And a moment later, he realised what it was.

The Thunderdrum's roar echoed in his ears and tormented his mind. Roaring in turn, he bolted around, and promptly slammed his tail onto the beast's head, crushing the armour.

Dazed, it groaned, stumbling in the sky, giving the Captain the best opportunity to strike.

Hiccup grunted, took a deep breath and closed his eyes- he chose his tactic, and although it was gruesome, it was quick and efficient, sure to kill. The Humanblaka dove under its underbelly, slammed and tore his tail across the straps to release the armour, and tugged out the dragon's intestines. Blood dumping on his face (eyes closed) as screams pierced the dusty, grey air, he released the tension in his jaws immediately, retracting his head quickly and flying a good distance away. Grimacing, he reached up and wiped blood from his face, and blinked a few times, duly noting the fall of the Thunderdrum as it died.

 _There... Poor bastard._ He thought to himself, and turned in the air, cursing upon seeing incoming soldiers. Whipping around to face them, he also wiped a drop of blood from his forehead, about to hit his eye. He did NOT need that.

One was a Monstrous Nightmare, the other a Hobblegrunt; easy enough. First things first, always recall weak spots.

Monstrous Nightmares could choke (sort of) on their own flames, and Hobblegrunts had weak thighs and occasionally, bad eyesight which left them prone to blinding. Any Shur'tugal knew those two, and Hiccup was no exception.

He started by ducking and barrel-rolling under the Hobblegrunt, raking its eyes with his tail as he went.

The Captain banked left, and turned over, kicking its thigh twice. Bones broke with loud snaps and crunches. Screeching, the Hobblegrunt snapped at his tail, missing miserably in its blind panic. Hiccup roared and dodged a fire blast, and watched as it sprayed on the Nightmare's ally instead. He then proceeded to hover in place as the Hobblegrunt shouted at the bigger dragon, got killed by it, and fell dead to the ground, bleeding heavily from a missing head.

Hiccup frowned, and shook his head with a sigh. "You guys really are idiots... Oh well. Won't matter after this..."

Its head lifted, the dragon began to say something, when he felt two cold boots slam into his spine, sending waves of pain up him, and wing claws secured themselves into his chest. A tail smacked his lower stomach towards the hip, tearing it and the contents inside open, right where the fire poach was located, of which then promptly supplied flames to his maw uncontrollably- a tail wrapped around his snout, black and bloody, that prevented any release.

Hiccup watched its pupils narrow in terror, its figure underneath him go rigid- wing and heartbeat pump faster in its panic, blood flowing and draining.

He could feel the gathering heat in its neck beneath him as it built up lethally. Before long, the fire had flowed in too much from the ruptured supplying organ, and in a glorious, melted, bloody expel, its throat tore open, jaw practically exploding. Screams died in its throat, eyes rolling, as Hiccup felt it go limp, starting to fall. He released himself from it, and watched as it descended to its death, crashing with multiple bones snapping.

Dead.

Sighing heavily, he wiped blood from his brow, flicked his tail spines up high, straightened up in his position, and managed to fly a good few stretches of battlefield without much trouble.

He felt a familiar jab to the mind, and turned his head to see Silus diving down to catch up. He slowed his pace, loosened his wing muscles, letting his wings cut through the air with a gentle, steady glide.

The man came up beside him, equally as gruesomely decorated. Frowning with a scrunched up nose, Hiccup reached out with a hand to flick some type of intestine remains on his back. Silus glanced at it, thoroughly disgusted that it'd been quite messy. "Who's genius idea was it to give us retractable, deadly teeth, and the ability to actually rip apart and devour flesh..."

Hiccup grunted. "We don't EAT them. That's basically cannibalism."

"Still," Silus mumbled, "It's wrong... And yes, I am confessing things like that during war on a violent, deathly battlefield."

His team-mate, and Captain, just snorted. "I was looking for you. Where's _Nightstar?_ "

The dark-haired- although most of it was soaked in blood- Humanblaka shrugged. Suddenly, another presence tugged at the young Shur'tugal's mind. He snarled in alarm, grunting as he recognised his caretaker's voice.

 _Death Rider, report._

Aloysius, otherwise known by Code Name as _Volcariian_ , spoke up telepathically. He sounded tired and hurt. Made sense.

 _Here, Volcariian. I'm with Aeros over near the large watch-tower..._

He glanced at the building, bit his bloody lip, and thoughtfully corrected himself. _Or, well, what WAS the watch-tower..._

 _Yeah, about that. Deathstar and Drago are supposed to be in the area..._

Hiccup groaned, tempted to face-palm. _Aaaand I'm taking that means I need to go and kick his fucking ass, somehow not kill the little piece of shit, nor he kills me, and then fucking end up with a knife in my effing stomach?_

Aloysius growled. _Don't get stabbed...! And watch the language._ He could practically hear the man's smirk. _You're going to break my record, and that's forbidden..._

 _Okay._ Hiccup rolled his eyes, allowing amusement to come out in the form of a snort. _I'll be quiet..._

Aloysius huffed in pleasure. _Good boy. I'll talk to you when you get around there, we're going to try and lead them into the row of buildings for you two... Sorry about the inconvenience and short notice. Kinda in a hurry. Go call Deathdoom and bring him around, you'll need him... Oh, and last thing- watch out for the tower's frame, it's crumbling like my mother's bread without her not-so-secret ingredient. Aloysius out._

"Well, that's great..." He groaned. Eyeing the upcoming remains of a building, he tensed his wing shoulders, slightly curving his wings inward and lowering his spines down to make tight turns and cut close angles. Getting the idea, Silus followed him. Sending out a echoing shriek to his comrades before they entered, Hiccup and Silus lowered themselves into the maze of broken pillars and crumbled walls. In more than one room, the roof had caved in. A lot was terribly unstable, still collapsing and posing dangerous threats to the passing Shur'tugalar.

Snorting as he eyed the complex, Hiccup cleared his mind for the next go round.

He suspected there would be some sort of second wave on Scarlet's side, and the Captain needed to be ready.

He inwardly cursed, taking a deep breath as their path left them plunged into darkness.

He could hear the wing-beats of his friend behind him, but other than that, he was silent. Silus was probably exhausted by now, and well, it made sense. He was 6 years younger, and this battle was not a nice one...

In fact, it was probably one of the worst... And that said a _lot_.

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **-Queen Scarlet's Fortress, Valley of Echoes, Midgard. Noon, 14years-5months-21days after Hiccup's death.**

 _Alright, Death-Rider._ Hiccup's eyes narrowed at the sound of Aloysius' voice as the man spoke lowly. _Drago's hot on our tails. It's going to be a tricky assault. You need to be careful..._ His voice softened, Hiccup sighed and rolled his eyes, his back straitening out slightly as his wings tilted an inch back and flapped in rapid procession. Not far beneath, Toothless ducked under the bridge, flying silently to avoid detection. _Sure you can handle this?_

 _You act like this is a training exercise, Volcariian._ Toothless hissed in slight amusement.

 _Stop babying us._ Aloysius (Volcariian) mumbled some obscenities, and left the short conversation. _We can handle dis biatch. Ugh... I've lest mah abilioty to spek clairly agaeen. Wait- diad dat- VOLCARIIIIIIEAN!_

Hiccup had to withhold his laughter; trust Toothless to be hilarious during a war. Shaking his head and trying to stay serious as he glided over the roofs of the line of tall buildings, he sharply skimmed over the edge and watched Deathstar's every movement with a keen eye. He spoke to his dragon, whose Code Name happened to be _Deathdoom_... It was Silus' idea, not theirs. _Alright, Deathdoom... It's fight time._

 _You got it, Death Rider._ Toothless shot into the scene immediately, crashing into Deathstar's side without a second thought or any reservations.

Hiccup blinked. He hadn't _really_ seen _that_ move coming... Oh well.

Mind racing and heart pounding, that battle adrenaline burned brighter than ever as he launched into the ambush, swooping down on Drago Bludvist.

They clashed, armoured foot to iron fist. Grunting, Hiccup pushed his wings forward, creating a wave of air pressure as he did a mid-air back flip and regained balance quickly.

Drago stood up in the saddle, eyes narrowing in fury as their dragons sent spurts of flame at each other from where they flew in identical, split paths between buildings, separated by said structures. Every time a gap appeared, attacks between the identically scary dragons collided.

Hiccup felt his blood rushing as he dodged his own dragon's burst of flame overhead, and landed on Deathstar's tail, spreading his wings ever so slightly for balance, as Drago charged at him at a break-neck speed only a Shur'tugal could create, as well as defend and fight against without being killed instantly. The spines on his tail shot up, and he ducked under the man's blow, skidding to the side and striking the back of his opponent's leg with his tail, slicing through the armour and clothes, lightly cutting the skin.

"Aww, that's all you've got?" Drago asked, grinning savagely and suddenly jumping to his right, lashing out with kicks and punches in rapid procession, and hitting his side and stomach a few times.

Growling as pain hit him hard, Hiccup stumbled back, and fell back into a somersault when fire blasted above him, narrowly missing.

 _Deathdoom, will you PLEASE be a bit more accurate?!_ He shouted, not really caring who heard; and frankly, it wouldn't have mattered. He didn't even need to use the dragon's Code Name, but that was just the way it was now. _You're going to hit your own rider!_ His complaints apparently went unnoticed, as blue flames meant to hit Deathstar's flank shot overhead.

Toothless didn't answer him, understanding he needed his focus for when Drago's fist swung into his ribs.

Grunting as pain shuddered throughout him, Hiccup intercepted another blow with his own fist, groaning inwardly as it became a battle of strength. Ten seconds passed, and he gave way, ducking under his opponent to strike the larger man's hip. He lashed out in rapid speed, hitting two, then three, then six times. Drago stumbled, gasping for breath. Flames shot over Hiccup's head. _DEATHDOOM! ACURRACY?!_

 _My range is off! My wing got hit!_ Toothless yowled, and seeing Drago's rather speedy recovery, shouted in his partner's mind. _LOOK OUT!_ Hiccup gasped, realising that he'd been so busy dodging fire, he hadn't realised the Drago had his black-blade and red-pommel sword drawn, and about to slice him in half.

Yelping, he spent that millisecond deciding what to do; throwing his arm up wasn't an option unless he wanted a severed limb, getting out his sword would take too long, and...

 _Oh, fuck it all_.

Hiccup dropped down, placed one hand on the dragon's spine, and back-flipped, watching with morbid amusement and satisfaction as Drago stabbed his own dragon. It reacted immediately, roaring as his body jerked, sending his rider flying off and Toothless an opportunity to strike. His Night Fury Skulblaka rammed into Deathstar, screeching as his claws raked down the larger dragon's shoulders and creating bleeding gashes.

Roaring, he spread his large wings, and dived off Deathstar's tail, eyeing the falling rider. He growled, watching him fall.

Deathstar eventually managed to break free, diving after his partner. He aided the man onto the ground, which was when Toothless deemed best enough time to hit again, this time with open jaws.

Hiccup took his arch-enemy on.

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **-Queen Scarlet's Fortress, Valley of Echoes, Midgard. Evening, 14years-5months-21days after Hiccup's death.**

Stumbling backwards, he rubbed his left thigh tentatively. The blood-loss was starting to get to his head from the countless injuries he'd taken on since the battle commenced.

Drago stood not far from him, panting like his opponent as they circled around. Hiccup's tail lashed, his wings spread- well, at least one of them, his left wing was broken- and a snarl emitting from his throat. The dragons were on the ground, slashing and snapping a fair distance away in the background.

As much as he hated to do so, Hiccup had to put aside those thought to focus on _his_ fight.

Mostly, because Drago hadn't been very nice lately within the last half hour, and he certainly wasn't running out of steam any time soon- but neither was he.

Ducking low and striking out with his tail, he struck down the lower abdomen, spinning around on the spot to go for a double attack. Growling, he slashed with his sword and hit the man's real arm in the armour's crevice, his accuracy on point. Smirking, he used one wing to shield his eyes as blood sprayed and Drago elicited a sharp yowl of pain. Not planning to give his nemesis any thing relating to a break, he roared and jumped up, slamming his fist to collide with the man's jaw.

Drago crashed against the wall, grunting and huffing in frustrated pain.

Hiccup landed on his fist, standing slowly, and exhaling. Blood coated and dripped from the bangs over his forehead, his left eye only just partially covered by hair. A deep cut ran from his forehead to the bridge of his nose. Blood had trickled down, dripping into his mouth, much to his disgust and irritation.

Drago shifted, pushing himself up with his metal arm.

The other remained limp, the wound across the elbow scarily deep, bleeding heavily. Looking closer for a second, Hiccup snorted. It looked ready to fall off in a bloody mess.

Despite the knowledge that his foe wouldn't be able to keep up the quality and ferocity of his attacks, perhaps not able to fight at all, Hiccup's hand tightened around the hilt of his deadly black blade, whom he had named _Vester_ _ö_ _r_ , meaning 'night-wing blade', when it had been forged seven years ago.

The hilt and handle chrome, and the blade black as his dragon's scales, a black diamond rested in the pommel with a emerald outlining. Vesterör needed no sharpening, no maintenance. It never broke, and couldn't; it sliced past any and every magical spell, protected by ancient magic likewise, and bonded to him. No other man, nor God or Shur'tugal, would be able to wield the blade and use it, at least, not without his truthful permission. Simple as that.

Blood and gore coated the sword, crimson red against the shimmering, menacing black.

"Give up, Drago." He hissed, taking short breaths between his next line. His chest rose up and down, bleeding from a wide cut a couple inches above his hip, and the two long slash marks along his chest to collarbone.

Drago merely growled, his pupils, dull and faded green dragon slits.

The Shur'tugal threw a hand to the battlefield to their left, where Scarlet's soldiers had been piled up (rather neatly, for some odd reason) in about eight heaps of mangled, bloodied limbs, bodies, and ripped flesh.

Hiccup's sword glinted in the light of the fire, and his pupils narrowed further. "We've won!"

"Not yet you haven't...!" Drago snarled, as he charged forward, metal fist raised. Hiccup quickly jumped up, substituting his chest or face for his tail to be hit.

Unsurprisingly, it hurt like a bitch.

He sucked in a short breath, groaning to himself as pain shot up his body. Drago had backed up, hissing in frustration; he launched at the flying rider, who promptly released all tension from his wings, falling down to the ground once more. With a huff, he arched underneath, spreading his wings just before slamming into the ground, and pulling up with a snarling groan. He turned, closed his wings, dropping down and slamming his heels into the charred and bloodied dirt.

Drago turned back around, eyes blazing in fury.

"Well," Hiccup growled, "Is this familiar, or what?" His opponent glared coldly, panting heavily and not exactly thrilled or entertained. Just the way Hiccup wanted it. Smirking slightly, the Humanblaka leaped forward, advancing at a astonishing speed, especially in his wrecked condition.

Anticipating the attack, Drago waited, and jumped back just as Hiccup stabbed his sword forward. He hit air, and not bothered, Hiccup did so again, just to be dodged; he kept it up, striving to wear Drago out. And, it seemed to be working. Well, at least until Drago realised he kind of needed to fight back with his own assaults.

 _Oh. So NOW he fights back?! Go figure... Well, It's about bloody time..._ Hiccup muttered to his own mind, as swords clashed, sparks flying.

It ended with him skidding backwards, breaking the clash, holding the sword out to his side, pointing to the earth. Drago charged him, and he slid to the left, tail swishing over the ground and leaving a trail of dust and flying dirt in its wake.

Hiccup blinked a few times, wincing at the blood getting in his eye and making it sting. "You know," He growled, "This whole thing is getting rather repetitive..."

"Really?" Drago asked, a mock-hurt tone implied. "Well, then... Allow me to shake things up a bit."

A loud roar rattled the sky; Hiccup looked up slightly, not letting his stance fall out of position or his guard go down.

Deathstar screeched, descending with claws outstretched. Growling in frustration, Hiccup raised Vesterör, and jumped back from the dragon, getting down onto his wings. In his thighs, he felt the strange, contracting bone that allowed Humanblakas to move on wings and legs shift, transferring so he could move faster and lower, like a Skullion or Night Fury cutting through the dark.

He stifled a sharp cry of agony that burst into the left wing, and leaped forward, skidding under the dragon's underbelly, easily ignoring the dust and ashes that rose up in his wake. Bellowing, Deathstar snaked his neck around his foreleg and breathed a jet of flame.

Heart pounding, Hiccup raced around a hind paw, and got down, panting and giving his burning muscles a very short kip as the green fire blast streaked overhead. Getting up as soon as it stopped, he tore straight onwards; he slammed his heels into the ground, pounced upwards, and lashed out with his tail. The spines sank straight into the dragon's right ankle, piercing into the flesh through the scales.

Taking a calmed breath, he let his mind slip into the training he'd been taught, and let it all move naturally, beginning with blocking out the sound of his victim's roars of agony.

He pulled viciously on the dragon's foot, tearing through muscle and nerves. His longest spine scraped against the bone, and he blankly eyed the dragon as he screeched, blood flowing out, untamed and sickeningly, pooling around him.

Swinging out from under the dragon, he halted just shy of Drago's sword when it slammed into the earth.

Deathstar's flames shot overhead, way too close for his liking- a little _too_ close.

Too close, as in, he was set into a TOR.

Hiccup pulled up, just as a horrible agony struck his mind, shudders reeked his body, and making him halt and stumble for a moment, and caused bright lights to flash in his eyes. Shaking his head, he blinked, attempting to regain his sight. He failed.

"UGH... Fuck it!" Focusing senses on his hearing and smell, he snarled and pounced, almost sure he had Drago in his hands now, but landed on nothing.

Hissing as helpless frustration filled him, and anger ran into his veins and polluted his mind, he stayed still for a moment, before he ran forward, feeling wind rush past the Shur'tugal as it tried to spy out its opponents. His heart was pounding abnormally fast, his blood hotter than a Firewing.

His mind suddenly snapped, and he gasped, screeching to a halt as he realised and recognised the symptoms.

The rapid, horrible symptoms of a Temperature Overdrive Relapse.

And of all TIMES, it was _NOW_.

A strangled yelp tore from his throat, as his legs gave out, and he was thrown over a ledge he couldn't see.

Screeching, he twisted around and slammed his hands on a sharp, rocky edge, scrambling to keep hold. He fought to steal back his senses, but by now he couldn't hear or smell anything either, not to mention the sudden lack of feeling in his wings.

Tail lashing and struggling in a vain attempt to find something to wrap around or grab, his feet scrambled over the ledge, as small rocks crumbled. _How_ , _what_ , _when_ , and _WHY_ were the main words pounding in his mind. Toothless' mind brushed against his rider's, and his roar echoed across the field.

 _TOOTHLESS!_

Toothless' heart leaped to his throat, at the sound of his rider's terrified distress, and next words.

 _H- HEL-HELP! I'M SLI- SLIPPING!_

 **Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO**

 **Next Chapter:**

 **Part Two Finale- And The Battle Rages On [Chapter 35]**

 **A/N: Wow. We're finally there... The pre-finale... Wow.**

 **Has it really been that long? Well, regardless, I want to thank you guys in advance for all the amazing support and love you've thrown me! :D**

 **And yes, I did leave you on THAT cliff-hanger... NO SPOILERS! The finale, I imagine, might take a while, but I can't be certain. It'll probably have a LOT of words, I'll tell you that. But, until then, I've got a new story that I intend to post sometime soon, and other stories can expect updates.**

 **Oh- and one thing. RttE is in two days, and we are all excited at Fishlegs-finding-Dark-Deep-levels, BUT, there's one thing I would like to explain about reviews.**

 **-IMPORTANT- REVIEW 'SELF-POLICIES'-**

 **Can you fangirl over RTTE in a PM, or something...? I love hearing from you guys, but when you leave reviews about hype trains, and that's about it, it kinda ruins the point of a REVIEW. Same goes for things off-topic. I don't mind you guys leaving a PS, or side-note, but just don't do all your hyping there... We have a nice, fangirly forum for that.**

 **OKAY, THIS ONE IS IMPORTANT TO ME. Now, pretty much all of you here are okay, but one guest review left on another story had me taking it down, for language, IN the name, which is the first thing a seven-year old child would read... If they were there... And don't question why, I don't understand kids these days. NOW. I WILL NOT ACCEPT LANGUAGE IN REVIEWS. There is no warning on reviews, no rating. If you are going to openly swear, I will take it down, and if your a non-guest, I'll probably tell you. If you ARE going to swear, CENSOR it. That is the LEAST you can do. AND, I don't want to see mature content or requests, as in 'Hiccup fucks Astrid!', or, 'I bet he raped everyone!' as bad as that's made me sound... Ugh... Dammit, Crystal. What have you done...? XD But you guys get the point.**

 **If I see ANY comments that involve flames, it's going down to Hel. So don't bother, all you scummy, bitchy keyboard warriors and bullies. Your words only make me LAUGH at your stupidity... There. About time I said 'no flames'... And I did it in style... Whippee! Go me! Just kidding... I'm not a ego-centred maniac...**

 **Thank you for understanding. Like I said, all of you guys are okay. It's just one review brought me to my senses about the language thing.**

 **DRAGONITES UNITE!**

 **-Crystallion12.**

 **Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO**


	40. Part 2 Finale- The Battle Rages On- C35

**This is War**

 **'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'**

 **Rated: T- Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **Genre: Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own HttyD. Rights go to Respective Owners.**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 **PlaidOtaku-** Haha, thanks for all the reviews and support! Hope you enjoy the Finale! ;)

 **aslan333** \- Thanks! :D

 **AquaJinx-** 'Laughs' Haha, yep. WHOOP WHOOP! Thanks for the review!

 **Pietersielie** \- 'Snickers a little' What, do you think I would change my cliff-hanger and cruel ways? NOPE! As I am now doing it, direct answers regarding plot and stuff will be on the Forum, but, I will say some things; Nelector and Ruby will feature in 'Just Like Fire', and other TIW AU titles. Motives of the war, back story of tons of characters and things, such as Queen Scarlet, the Draconians' past and lore, the 'DragonBorn', the gradual revealing of Hiccup to Berk, and the dark and secretive past of Drago and Aloysius, shall be revealed in Part Three; and THAT, is **_confirmed_** , my dear friend. Also, we shall see a brand new- more or less, since he IS a cannon character- that plays as a mentor and the closest, and second last, member of Hiccup's unique 'species', will be introduced, alongside his best friend. Thanks for the review and support!

 **Eeveecat1248 (from a review on C.1)** \- Ehhhh...? Yeah...? I'm confused, but okay! XD

 **As always, thanks to every one of you- I love you all, and all your support and dedication is amazing!**

 **Thank you for staying around for Part Two!**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **WARNING : Content ahead is for Mature Audiences only. Viewer discrimination is advised. Constant blood and gore, strong violence, VERY frequent language, and other mild adult themes await. If you have a sensitive stomach / are a young reader below a suitable age, you should turn away. There are other nice, cheery fluffy fanfics.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **This Is War**

 **Part Two – Over The Years**

 **Part Two Finale**

 **Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO**

 **Chapter 35: And the Battle Rages On (Mercy)**

 **-Queen Scarlet's Fortress, Valley of Echoes, Midgard. Evening, 14years-5months-21days after Hiccup's death/ascension.**

Toothless lifted his head from where it had just snapped a poor bastard's neck, and he immediately froze, heart skipping a beat. His precious, beloved Hiccup was hanging over a cliff, above a huge abyss. He was struggling to hold on, clearly in great pain.

His soul-mate instincts kicking in, he set at a break-neck speed as he launched into the air, pounding against the wild winds furiously.

 _Hold on!_ He roared, pushing himself further as the Captain yelped, loudly.

It was a lot quicker and simple than most would think.

Toothless spun around, ducking under the ledge, just as Hiccup fell, promptly landing in the saddle, struggling a little to regain composure and grip on. The dragon flew up, gliding out of arrow and mangler range for now, twisting his long neck around to look at his rider with concern. _Are you alright? What happened_?!

 _Define alright, Bud..._ He muttered, groaning as he pressed a wandering hand against his pained side. _I blame Drago... Although the TOR came from Deathstar and his butcher flames._

Everything was either hurting, aching, or burning, and all three of those combined was even worse (understandably). Getting the idea, Toothless just nodded, flying over the war zone, allowing him to calm down the best he could.

Hiccup tried meditating, breathing in and out slowly to try and calm down his racing heart.

He still couldn't see, which didn't make anything easier, but it could have been worse. His wings were still numb and motionless.

Thankfully, his technique worked pretty well, and he even had a somewhat relevant vision range, but he decided to just go it blind, shutting his eyes. Now that his mind was back to his control, he remembered, well, he could fight and do anything blind, he was trained for this. It had always annoyed him, being incapable of his senses during battle, as it had happened countless times in the past- much more than he would prefer to admit- but that didn't mean he liked it any more than he did.

 _Ready?_ His companion asked, eyes now carefully examining the battlefield. Hiccup merely nodded.

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **-Queen Scarlet's Fortress, Valley of Echoes, Midgard. Night, 14years-5months-22days after Hiccup's death/ascension.**

The sword came down on the Razorwhip's head, piercing the skull, diving straight through. As it fell on its side, dead, another soldier of that species charged Hiccup, claws outstretched. He snarled, ducking under and slashing its underbelly, before cutting its silver tail off to prevent it attacking with its speciality move of slicing spines.

It screeched, collapsing, slowly bleeding out. Hiccup hissed, glaring, turning his tail, but not without looking back, and silently meeting its helpless, agonised plead of regret and terror, for him to give his forgiveness, and help him heal his soul, in its eyes.

Suddenly, something in him changed. Looking down, he sighed deeply, turning back, and with a grunt, spread his wings, taking flight.

He swooped down, wrapping his long, powerful tail underneath its chest to lift the dragon, as it roared in pain. But, he didn't intend to kill the wounded Razorwhip. He brought it up to his stomach, wrapping his arms around its chest, the armour cold and stained with blood from its foes, and his allies. _Why am I doing this, again?_ He asked himself briefly, but he knew already. With a low, warning growl to silence the silver creature, he made his trip quick.

Diving low, he dodged a couple of arrows before he reached the outskirts of the fortress, lowering down to the couple of nearby tents, hidden in a ravine. Wounded soldiers, unable to fight due to their injuries or lost energy, were there, being treated away from harm's claws.

He gently lowered the dragon to the ground, waiting for its paws to touch the grass before he released his hold on the Razorwhip, touching down as well.

" _Capabilster skura uyyre?_ " He asked in Dragonese, and the dragon shakily nodded, still bleeding.

Sighing, he gently pressed his hand to the dragon's snout, running it down a scale, before he turned, spreading his wings to head back into the battle, new thoughts on his mind.

When was the last time he showed mercy like that...?

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **-Queen Scarlet's Fortress, Valley of Echoes, Midgard. Night, 14years-5months-22days after Hiccup's death/ascension.**

Silus looked around, angling his wings to a steady glide to observe the battlefield. Where was _Death Rider_ , otherwise known as Captain, Shur'tugal Hiccup?

"Looking for me, buddy?"

He turned his head, smiling faintly as Hiccup swooped low, evening out to fly by his side, taking up his flank. His wings flapped steadily, despite hurting and exhausted from non-stop use. Silus looked down, sighing as his tail spines straightened, tense.

"Where were you?" He asked, and Hiccup snorted, meaning what he presumed was the 'ordinary' or 'usual'.

So, he was mutually surprised to hear he had shown mercy and had even saved a enemy Razorwhip after striking it down in battle. Silus was lost in thought, wondering where this sudden burst of change in Hiccup's demeanour had come from. After deciding to ask and think about it later, and focus on the still raging battle taking place, he followed his Captain to where they were meeting up with the rest of their team, which was Team One.

They swooped low, landing with a bit of skidding to the broken and cracked, yet still standing roof of a tower.

Hiccup nodded to Lucy and Kuornos, already there. Up above, Toothless and their dragons were circling in the air, keeping watchful eyes on what was transpiring below. Sighing, Hiccup shared a brief glance with his soul-mate, before raising his voice.

"She can't continue like this," He stated simply, "Scarbitch will have to either retreat-"

Lucy spoke up, her voice dark, serious, and grim. "-Or, bring out some secret weapon to turn the tides... Which is JUST what we need, isn't it?"

"Yeah, NOT." Kuornos growled, and she gave him a venomous look. Hiccup swished his tail to silence them quickly, although he knew they weren't dumb, and wouldn't start bickering like idiots, especially considering they were in a battle. "Sorry..." He mumbled, waiting for Hiccup to speak again. He did so quietly and seriously.

His tail skimmed over the surface of the cold stone, and his wings fluttered as the words slipped off his tongue.

"Knowing her, she'll probably run. She won't want a worse outcome than all this..." He gestured to the destroyed fort, "...Has brought. She isn't stupid."

The trio nodded, and Silus' voice broke through the brief silence. "So... What do we do?"

Hiccup smirked a little.

"Send them to Hel, for now... So, basically, just anything that is fucking painful and kick-ass. Literally, on that second one."

Growling, they each nodded, and with a single snort, turned tail, unfurled their massive- which were glittering orange in the firelight, and layered with blood- wings and getting on their respective dragon partners, diving back into the battle that raged on.

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **-Queen Scarlet's Fortress, Valley of Echoes, Midgard. Night, 14years-5months-22days after Hiccup's death/ascension.**

Loud roars rattled the earth, and the two huge Skulblakas clashed once more. Above a bloody and violent battlefield, crimson met white scales as they fought ferociously, neither one relenting in the bloodshed and harm.

Scarlet screeched her rage, diving at the slightly smaller Skulblaka. Oh, she remembered this devil.

Iceheart roared, ducking and swerving to the right. She may be 2081 years old, but the dragoness was still quite nimble and fast for her massive size and age. Scars were littered all over her body from years upon years of battle, just like this, but a lot of them worse. Her scales were shiny despite it all, white as snow, but her under-wings, down her spine, and under-belly were tinted with fading, light blue. Silver, bloody armour (some of it broken now) covered her body.

Her pupils narrowed further as hot flames shot underneath her. With a shriek, she launched forward, clamping her lethal jaws around one of the red beast's wings _while_ breathing blazing hot blue flames.

Scarlet howled, raking her hind paw over Iceheart's thigh and down underneath.

Blood that was somewhat cold sprayed onto the golden talons as a furious, pained bellow came from within the white dragon's throat, vibrating within her.

On Iceheart's back, her rider sat, taking the opportunity, and stabbing his sword into the dragon's snout. Shrieking, Scarlet managed to pull away, falling a bit before catching herself. Lifting her long neck, she shot a searing hot blast of fire at the dragon, and it hit its mark, leaving a faint, glowing burn mark on the white paw.

"Wow, Scarbitch, you're getting slower." He called from the saddle, and Scarlet's eyes narrowed thinly.

Snarling, she flew away, washing her gaze over the battlefield; her eyes locked onto Hiccup and Drago, who had clashed once more... And Hiccup was winning, by a LONG SHOT. She groaned; how incompetent and useless could they be?!

Iceheart glared, watching her go, but leaving it. Hiccup could handle them...

Patting the Skulblaka's neck, he veered her away, heading out to save those they could before she took them away.

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **-Queen Scarlet's Fortress, Valley of Echoes, Midgard. Dawn, 14years-5months-22days after Hiccup's death/ascension.**

Aloysius roared viciously at his opponent, its crimson jaws snapping at his ankle. He whipped around, slashing the armoured Monstrous Nightmare's paw clean off with his tail. The dragon shrieked, losing its balance and falling on the side that no longer had the necessary support. He raised his sword, ready to bring it down on the dragon's neck, but paused and looked up.

"Let it go, Volcariian." The old rider said, seated upon his dragoness', Iceheart, back. Claw and burn marks over their battered bodies showed they had been in a brutal fight with Queen Scarlet (or, Scarbitch, as they now called her).

With a nod, he took his bloody sword, leaving it clutched loosely in his right hand, considering his dominant one, his left, was missing more than half its flesh because of a nasty burn.

"Can we let our guard down?" He asked the man, who had a name much more confusing than his Code Name- which was _Vitae_ , Latin for 'life', but pronounced differently, with vit, as in kit, instead- and seriously made NO sense.

"No," Vastraunilark (pronunciation at the end...) said, scratching his neck a little. "We are still surrounded by our enemies... Who are, for the most part, as innocent as can be." He landed, reaching out to gently touch the dragon's scarred snout. He got a pathetic, pained whine in return. With a soft murmur of, 'slytha', the ancient word for 'sleep', the dragon fell unconscious, chest rising up and down to signify he was still alive.

Aloysius stared at him, curiously confused. The man said nothing, getting back on his huge white dragon and taking off.

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **-Queen Scarlet's Fortress, Valley of Echoes, Midgard. Dawn, 14years-5months-22days after Hiccup's death/ascension.**

Anyone could say the facts; It was a horrific battle.

Dragons were in sky, firing at one another, locking into close combat. Talons were ripping, and teeth were tearing, as fire scorched and burned.

Many of the Asgardian dragons had riders, armoured men and woman upon their faithful partners' backs. High in the sky, sending waves of death upon the opposing forces, Skulblaka Toothless flew, breathing long jets of icy blue flame on their opponents.

Breathing jets of icy blue flame upon the battlefield, they were killing machines, unleashing fire and fury upon the helpless soldiers.

They were winning.

A loud, ear-splitting roar echoed across the battlefield, and suddenly, Deathstar and Drago had emerged.

It wasn't long before the Toothless noticed the huge black beast, who had a large hunk of darkly armoured man on his back, Drago.

Roaring his challenge, they locked combat, slashing claws and breathing fire upon one another- when the dragons were close enough, sword met sword, although it appeared as if the smaller duo had a big advantage, especially with agility.

"Alright, this is getting fucking annoying!" Hiccup shouted, as Toothless dodged another fire blast from Deathstar.

It was honestly not surprising to see the dragon back in the air and rage-fully attacking, but the fact they had sought out and found Hiccup and Toothless, just like that, pissed them off, _big time._

Drago hadn't said anything- well, anything other than streams of curses- but there wasn't any needed. They were mad at them, and understandably, too.

Well, so were they.

Hiccup patted the black dragon's neck in front of him, as he swerved to the right sharply. _Okay, Bud, Plasma Blast, multiple shot! Take 'em off guard!_

The Skulblaka did as told, and it worked; not suspecting the sharp, precise and searing hot shots, Deathstar opened his jaws and breathed fire, but to collide with Core fire, not Plasma. It hit him, straight in the mouth, exploding on contact.

Deathstar screamed in pain, the smell of burning gums and tongue filling the air, colliding with the smoke from the fires littering the Valley. Together, it created a very unpleasant smell that Hiccup had to close his nose (yet again another very weird and mysterious ability Humanblakas possessed) to block out the overwhelming scent.

A moment later, though, Deathstar's loud cry shook the sky, this one in fury, as he raked the bloody talons over the green-eyed dragon's neck, sending hot, sticky blood flying. The dragon screamed, as Drago plunged his long black sword into his snout, and with a howl, they fell, his rider going down with him.

Both dragon and rider crashed hard, but only one managed to stand, his companion unconscious...

But not dead.

The man knelt by the huge dragon, slowly bleeding out. Shouting words of the Ancient Language, the blood flow stopped, and he quickly pressed a cloth over it.

With a roar that shook the sky, Hiccup took flight, his long, deadly tail, and now glowing eyes almost spewing fire, he launched himself towards the dragon in the sky, unaware of his presence. He tackled the rider, sending them both crashing to the earth.

Furious and pissed, that Drago had dared to do that, he roared viciously and loudly, and pounced. Scarlet was approaching, and her blue and yellow Nadder screeched in alarm at the sight.

The scarlet beast roared something to Deathstar, just as she realised what that meant.

Scarlet smiled; she knew what the oblivious girl didn't.

Askuria Hofferson was Astrid's- _the_ Astrid, the love of Hiccup's past life- sister. Twin sister. And Hiccup knew this, and so did she...

And, fittingly enough, Stormwhisper came from the exact same clutch of eggs that Stormfly did, meaning they were soul-siblings with their riders.

The huge red eyed dragon descended upon her and Stormwhisper, claws outstretched, ready to tear into their flesh, hoping to hit Hiccup from the inside, more than aware of who they were. Askuria threw her axe at the creature, which to her horror, MISSED.

She could only watch, as the axe uselessly fell to the charred and dark grounds below, and the dragon's claws grabbed Stormwhisper's neck, the claws digging in, as her beloved Nadder screamed bloody murder, literally.

The worst her ears had ever heard, it was a awful sound she had never heard from a dragon, none the less her own; the black beast merely stared on, watching as she begged for it to stop, and desperately tried to pry away his claw, just as it flew off, blood spilling over as her dragon went limp and fell...

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **[Warning: Very strong close-up violence and bloodshed here. Drago, for once, has my sympathy.]**

 **-Queen Scarlet's Fortress, Valley of Echoes, Midgard. Dawn, 14years-5months-22days after Hiccup's death/ascension.**

Hiccup knew how to, and could be, VERY violent. Tearing out guts, ripping off limbs, anything from burning to slicing and dicing his foes.

But this was something different, because he usually left the face alone.

Not this time.

Everything was either bleeding from his own Injuries, or coated in Drago's blood.

His teeth dripped crimson, his fist skinned slightly from punching so much, which had happened so many times, Hiccup was sure he'd probably struck a personal record.

The only time he'd ever done so before was on a punching bag... Not on real flesh and body.

Drago groaned, unable to touch his own face from the sheer blinding amount of pain- if it could even be called a face at this stage. It was a combination of black, blue, and purple, blood here and there to mix in and stick to his dreadlocks. He was a broken mess. His ear lay on the floor, torn raggedly off by Hiccup's razor sharp teeth that had bitten his neck as well.

He was now missing an eye, of which was part of what became missing when the absolutely raging Shur'tugal swiped his tail in his face. The second time, that is, the first officially sliced off a quarter of his nose.

Slamming his foot again into Drago's bloody and rather malformed face, earning a very satisfying crack, Hiccup hissed, grabbing his neck between his bloody hands.

"NO ONE TOUCHES MY DRAGON! YOU HEAR ME?! _DO YOU HEAR ME?!_ "

About to say something, Drago was cut off cold by a slice to his abdomen from an already bloody tail spine.

He screamed, as Hiccup's tail then launched into Drago's thigh, causing a spurt of blood to ensue.

The spines tore through the armour and flesh like butter, and smiling with a cruelty only one getting his long-overdue revenge, would know, it slowly slid up his side, cutting straight through as screams tore through the air.

His vision darkened, and it wasn't because of the TOR's after effects.. No, he was slipping into a Red Rage.

The battlefield around him was slowly transferring into black, Drago's figure a stark and violent red, while he was a variety of oranges, pinks, greens and yellows, and blood was white.

Scarlet's roar snapped him out his vengeful and violent trance, and he looked up, natural colour and reality given back to him, just in time. The burning fury and rage still remained, causing his blood to boil and his heart to pound against his chest, but he no longer wanted to tear the guts and sinews out Drago's heart and liver, slowly tearing him apart and feasting on his blood like a Skullion on a killing spree.

She was approaching, and fast. He grunted, yanking his tail out and running away, taking short bursts of speed with his wings. He didn't look back at them, knowing she would have rescued them.

"HICCUP!" She roared, and snarling, Hiccup turned slightly, glaring. She wasn't so much angry as she looked... Victorious...? Snide...?

"Why don't you look over there and catch Astrid's sister's last breath?"

He froze. What...

 _What...?_

He spun around immediately, turning tail and running, slipping once since his boot was coated in thick blood.

True to her word, Askuria laid on the ground, trapped under her fallen and bleeding dragon's broken wing. He froze on his spot, eyes unblinking as he launched forward, crossing the distance with a desperate stumble in his run.

Hiccup shook her shoulder, tears threatening to spill from his eyes at the mere thought of her being gone.

He screamed when she made no move to wake up, or showed any signs of life...

And he cried, collapsing onto his knees. Stormwhisper groaned, miraculously still alive, and looked at him in sorrow and grief... And a type of amusement.

"Fi... fiv... five more... minutes..."

Hiccup's eyes snapped open, and he let out a huge breath of relief, immediately embracing the bloodied blonde Dragon Rider. She gasped as he embraced her, tightly, and she slowly wrapped her arms around him in turn.

After a moment, she winced, shakily asked him to let go. He did so, apologising as tears, this time of happiness, fell down his bloody cheeks.

"What's the comm... commotion about...?" She asked, and he shook his head, hushing her to save her strength.

Not wanting to leave Askuria, but needing to get back to his dragon, he quietly told them to hold on, and Stormwhisper to watch over her rider before standing and running back to the fallen Skulblaka, who lifted his massive head to greet him.

Hiccup fell to his knees, embracing the warm and familiar scaly beast. Toothless purred, giving him a gentle lick to the cheek with the tip of his tongue.

Sighing, Hiccup held on, eventually deeming his dragon could stand to fight.

 _C'mon, Bud... Let's finish this battle..._ The Captain murmured, stroking the side of Toothless' bloody neck. Standing with a little struggle, the dragon managed to stand, and giving him a soft croon of emotional pain, Hiccup swung onto Toothless' back.

They flew into the air, looking down on the warzone, as things began to calm down. Hiccup felt a tug on his mind of a Rift opening, and a nagging feeling in the back of his agitated mind said it was Scarlet and Deathstar.

He pushed it aside, steering Toothless headstrong towards his team, who were approaching from the other side.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his over-angered nerves, staring at the saddle.

The task was nearly impossible, and despite how much he tried to focus, it took him under, a mental fight between his mental instability, the temptation to go insane, and the willpower he had been trained to possess.

"What the... Death Rider, LOOK OUT!"

He didn't want to hurt them, he didn't want to kill them, no, he could fight this... He could fight this... _He COULD fight this...!_

"HICCUP, _TURN AROUND! HICCUP!_ "

Toothless suddenly shrieked, and he blinked, confused and snapped out his trance, and barely had time to even _think_ , just as a heavy weight rammed into them, cold claws slashed over them both, and they crashed.

Black and white simultaneously flashed before his eyes, and he looked up, seeing the massive, glittering, bloodthirsty and cruelly smiling blue, purple and pink Skulblaka, with white under-wings and claws. On her back, a green-eyed Shur'tugal sat, blonde hair stained with blood down her back. Blue armour covered them.

Aurora, having dived down immediately when Hiccup and Toothless were knocked out the sky by the new rider and dragon, landed, rushing to their Captain's side. Silus frowned, stared at them, and gasped in realisation.

"Nice hit, Razorwind. The plan has been put into action!" Alestaira laughed, smirking evilly, before they turned, entering a freshly opened rift and escaping.

Hiccup shakily stood, multiple bones probably now broken or bruised. He stared after them, lost.

Silence fell among them, as Silus wondered what had ever happened to his old trainee group from Berk...

And why Alestaira and Razorwind were now part of Scarlet's army, and how they had never known.

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **-Queen Scarlet's Fortress, Valley of Echoes, Midgard. Morning, 14years-5months-22days after Hiccup's death/ascension.**

"WHY THE FUCK ARE WE _STILL_ FIGHTING?!" Lucy screeched, slicing down a solider that had charged Silus, who was honestly struggling, no doubt shaken from their latest discovery.

Back to back with Kuornos, Hiccup duly noted what she said, but he pretty much got the idea.

Scarlet may have retreated, but her troops were so scared and devoted to her at this stage, they didn't even care.

They would keep fighting... And so would they.

As a team.

As one...

Which was what they would tell a stranger, probably with their jaws touching the ground, when they saw the team.

Hiccup looked to the side, spotting a stray Nadder spine heading for Silus' tail. With a snarl, he finished off his opposing Lunarwing with a slash of his tail, while using the heel of his foot (and being very reliant on chance) to intercept the spine and send it in a completely different direction, planting into another soldier's chest that dropped dead.

Silus didn't need to know what it was; who did it; he was safe, and so was the one who saved him.

They trusted each other, they had saved each other countless times. It didn't matter who did it, because it would never change how he loved them.

And that was echoed in his mind, as he felt the wind pass his tail, but no spine lodged itself in him.

His sword stopped, just an inch from the Deadly Nadder who had shot the stray spine, the metal barely touching the throat.

Silence fell over the group, and frozen, all fighting just... _Stopped_.

Looking at Silus, and the still unmoving Nadder, its yellow eyes wide and full of confused terror, they realised that it was useless.

Fighting... It was useless now.

Scarlet was gone, not caring in the slightest for her troops, as it became clear to the broken, armoured soldiers, who lowered their claws, closed their jaws, flattened their spines and stepped away silently.

The swords and spines of the four Shur'tugalar slowly moved away from their meant-to-be victims, slipping into sheaths and spines pressing to the tails.

Hiccup said nothing, glancing at his best friends, his team, his family, and then at the soldiers.

He looked into their souls, he looked into their eyes.

What differences were there...?

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **-The Draconian Camp, Valley of Echoes, Midgard. Midnight, 14years-5months-23days after Hiccup's death/ascension.**

They stood in a circle, heads bowed in silent remorse. Everyone had been called to attend the make-shift funeral. The dragons had their wings fanned at their sides, and their riders, in turn, did likewise as Alumus stepped forward, his pure white scales gleaming in the pale moonlight.

The leader of the Shur'tugalar, and the Draconians, Ciron, stepped forward, glancing at his dragon before taking a deep breath, and speaking. Eyes half-lidded, pupils dilated, soft words of the Ancient Language slipped off his tongue, as he murmured quietly.

Not looking up, everyone soon repeated, speaking in sync.

Alumus raised his long neck to the sky, letting out a long, mournful shriek, and they joined in, crying their grief for all the realms to hear. He then blinked, eyes closed slightly as a blast of bright, icy blue flames shot from his mouth, exploding in the sky. Green, purple, yellow, orange, and other colours joined the blue, lighting up the sky and showering sparks and embers of various colours, that shimmered and faded into the wind, never touching or harming a soul in the beautiful, otherwise silent night.

Heads lifted, tears in eyes and hearts aching. Ciron nodded shakily, stepping forward, and taking his sword, removing it from its sheath with a resounding sound. Lowering the blade's tip to the ground, at the foot of where Nelector and Ruby were buried, he bowed on one knee, wings spread and tail curled at his feet.

The man got up slowly, taking another breath and turning away, watching Alumus rest his snout on the tomb before turning around and allowing their fellow Shur'tugalar and Skulblakas to pay their grief-stricken respects.

Understandably, the fallen duo's team went first, each one in endless tears and close together. Those who had lost a team-mate before were hit hard, knowing how awful and agonising it was.

Bessila (Bestie, as everyone called her) was in violent tears, her face buried in her dragon's, Jayfeather, scales. Moonshine was comforting her rider, who was trying, and failing, to conceal his overwhelming emotions. Zecosis and Kilsea, always the silent mourners who grieved on their own, had their heads bowed and tears slipping away. Wysteria wasn't hiding anything, and Giovanni was just hiding in her scales miserably.

Hiccup stepped forward shortly after. He didn't know what to say, what to do, or even if he should do either.

Even if it wasn't directly on him, he still felt responsible for his friends' death.

 _What have I done, Bud..._ He asked his dragon, speaking within their private link. The dragon crooned in sympathy and grief, lowering his neck and nuzzling his hand. _I'm responsible for his death... It's my fault... And n-_

Toothless nudged his head into Hiccup's arms, cutting him off mid-sentence. _You couldn't have saved him, Little One. Don't beat yourself up for what was meant to be..._

Nodding slightly, but no where near convinced, the young Humanblaka paid his respects and took his leave. He caught a good couple of sympathetic glances thrown his way, but he mostly ignored them. They knew him, and well, if they didn't expect this reaction, then someone else would tell them. He wasn't in the mood for it...

While he was tired and aching everywhere, he couldn't bring himself to sleep the last few hours of the night away.

So, he stared at the wall, and cried, but never falling asleep.

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

 **-The Draconian Camp, Valley of Echoes, Midgard. Night (Evening), 14years-5months-23days after Hiccup's death/ascension.**

Aloysius hesitantly approached the tent of the Captain. Toothless was curled around the shelter, his head by the entrance, eyes open and watchful. The bright green against shiny, black, narrow but tame slits, landed on him, and the huge Skulblaka growled lowly, before turning his gaze back.

 _Hiccup doesn't want to see anyone right now,_ the dragon hissed, before his voice singled him out quietly. _But do go in... He can't fight against the line of command, and you're above him._

He hesitated- Toothless didn't stop him from entering, as he said.

The dragon's rider was laid on his bed, on side. His figure was still and shivering, peaking Aloysius' 'fatherly' concerns. He rushed over, and gently pulled on his wing shoulder.

Hiccup moaned, pulling away from him and shouldering the hand off. His tail swished in pained agitation.

"You're a fucking idiot, you know that, right?" Aloysius asked, understanding.

He got a pout and an insulted growl in return.

Sighing, Aloysius slipped out the tent, returning a few minutes later, sitting down to help the young Humanblaka. He knew that Hiccup was wound up, stressed, tired, and quite snappy, amidst mood-swings in nature. And when he was snappy, he often snapped at demanding women (or men, mind you), usually nurses, who wanted to go to bed and not get slapped by wings and tails as they tried (and usually failed) to heal the Captain.

Being careful as he slipped his wings under Hiccup's arms, lifting him up into a sitting position, and quietly stroking his neck for re-assurance, injecting a pain-relief anaesthetic, before pulling Hiccup's shirt over his head.

The Captain didn't fight or refuse the care, knowing by now that Aloysius would only get fussier.

Aloysius grimaced at the sight.

Nothing looked infected, or at least badly, but none of them looked exactly pretty. Dried blood was layered over his skin, coating muscle and quickly supplying fresh streaks of it on Aloysius' hands when it was touched by a cloth.

Hissing in pain, Hiccup tried backing up, which was anticipated and accordingly met with a warning glare and a crimson tail's light smack on the thigh.

Sighing, he nodded, allowing the older Shur'tugal to continue until his body, mainly chest and stomach, were cleaned and bandaged, his wing inspected, and ribs confirmed to be broken, alongside his right hand and ankle, and quite a few bones and muscles were pulled. Violently.

Made sense, really. It was just Hiccup's luck...

"So," Aloysius murmured, tucking a strand of auburn hair behind Hiccup's ear, "I'm taking you'll go to sleep now?"

Hiccup blinked, then smirked a little.

"That's what you say, every time you've finished taking care of my injuries and put me to bed like a mother hen..." At Aloysius' raised eyebrow, he grumbled a bit, and nuzzled the Humanblaka's hand with his nose gently. "Fine, I'll try. But _only_ for you, Alois. Only for you... Okay, and Toothless. And _maybe_ Silus."

"Thought you might say that... I'm on Hiccup duty, tonight, so you don't get much of a choice." Aloysius said, smirking.

He groaned, the dragged out sound long and annoyed.

Aloysius only rolled his eyes, Hiccup giving him his best 'seriously' face and falling into the bed, mercifully only flinching in resistance when covers were pulled over him, resting just below his neck.

Snug, Hiccup eventually succumbed to the inviting warmth of the sheets, letting his stubbornness and anger slip away for the kind man he'd seen like a father for the last fifteen or so years when he began to stroke him, and purred lightly, pupils dilated when Aloysius hit his weak spot; his neck.

It was the fact to know about the Captain, was this weak spot.

It seemed, regardless of the situation or condition he was in, stroking his neck would always calm and comfort him.

However, at times, ever since Rome, it had been a bit of a painful reminder of the long, rather obvious and nasty scar across his neck, and would send shudders through Hiccup, but in the end, if you found his weak spot and he was pissed, he'd soon be purring and asleep in your lap. And quite literally, too, as they had found out shortly after the discovery.

"Just go to sleep, Hiccup. I'm here for you... And I won't _ever_ let you go... Like Drago did to me."

 _What?_

Hiccup looked up, now frowning. Aloysius paused, realising he had said his previous statement aloud. "What?" Hiccup asked quietly, confused.

"Nothing..." Aloysius mumbled, running his hand down Hiccup's side to comfort him. "Just sleep." Despite how many questions Hiccup now had, and that one question lingering on his mind, he soon fell asleep, but not without telling Toothless to remember his nagging question.

This said question was one he'd been wondering for over a decade now; _What happened to Drago and Deathstar...?_

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **This Is War**

 **Part Two – Over The Years**

 **Part Two Finale**

 **Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO**

 **Next Chapter:**

 **Epilogue for Part Three- Secrets Revealed Of Old [Chapter 36]**

 **A/N: 'Takes deep breath' We made it.**

 **We made it. We're here, at the Part Two Finale... After all this time, it's honestly amazing to me, just how much I've done over the course of only about half a year.**

 **Thank you, all of you, whether you are simply reading this, are a loyal follower, someone who gave this story a favourite, or have reviewed... Thank you, all of you. Honestly, it means the world to me, to finally be able to say this, to write this and show you all... Thank you.**

 **Now, away with the mushiness, business time;**

 **As I did before, we will be taking a break from TIW, in a way. I have some EXTRAs planned, and an Epilogue, as always, as mentioned up there... 'points upwards'**

 **But Part Three, 'Awakening Of A Race Long Forgotten' isn't due for at least a couple of weeks.**

 **So, here's some angst-y and suspense-y titles to think about.**

 **Part Three Epilogue: Secrets Revealed Of Old**

 **EXTRA 1/3: Mentally Unstable**

 **EXTRA 2/3: Red Rage (Near Death Accident)**

 **EXTRA 3/3: We'll Always Love You**

 **Part Three Opener: Taken Away From Everything (Stranger Danger)**

 **DRAGONITES UNITE!**

 **-Crystallion12**

 **Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO**


	41. Epilogue for Part Three- Ancients- C36

**This is War**

 **'A How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction'**

 **Rated: T- Contains: Strong Violence, War Themes, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Mild Adult Themes.**

 **Genre: Fantasy / Adventure [Action]**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own HttyD. Rights go to Respective Owners.**

 **o-o-o**

 **SHOUTOUTS:**

 **No ShoutOuts until Part Two Opener.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **WARNING : Frequent Language, some Violence and Blood/Gore. **

**Viewer Discrimination advised.**

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **This Is War**

 **Part Two – Over The Years**

 **Part Two Epilogue**

 **Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO**

 **Chapter 36: Ancients [Epilogue of Part Two]**

 **WARNING/NOTE:** **If you do not wish to see spoilers, you may turn away right now. These are three scenes, each one from a different chapter from This Is War, Part Three, 'Awakening Of A Race Long Forgotten'. Thank you for your time.**

...Snarling, Hiccup raced through the trees, not stopping, not thinking, and not trying to do either. This somehow horribly familiar, random, strange, Humanblaka was NOT going to just swoop in and take EVERYTHING from him!

He leaped over a log, and suddenly, its dark brown bark was flashing before his eyes.

"Wh- AGH!" With a roar, the Humanblaka fell back, and twisted a leg underneath him, switching to his primal stance. He winced silently, almost sure a bruise had formed on his nose and forehead. How he got hit, and why he did, was a complete mystery, and he didn't question It. No time to dwell on the past.

Suddenly, that bitch was in front of him. How, he didn't have the slightest clue. AGAIN.

He opened his jaws, sucked in a breath, and roared his anger. While the older Humanblaka's pupils narrowed, his form remained still, collected, calm.

"GO AWAY!" Hiccup screamed. "YOU'RE RUINING- YOU'RE TAKING _EVERYTHING_ FROM ME!"

Without thinking, he charged, ready to tear his opponent apart, limb from limb, separated from the body In gruesome manners.

Grunting, he waited, and to Hiccup's utter shock, he leaped overhead, and his eyes _glowed_ bright purple- the fingers that made up the wing bones suddenly began glowing, too, and with a echoing, blood-curdling roar, Hiccup was suddenly pinned to the forest floor.

Hiccup stared, completely confused and shocked. His mind was racing, his heart pounding against his chest.

The man sighed, shaking his head and stepping off him. "Now that you've calmed down, allow me to speak, please..." At Hiccup's scowl, he continued, his voice toned seriously. "Don't you understand? I'm not taking you from anything. It would be wrong to do so." He paused, his purple eyes fading down into blue. Now gleaming, the slits turned to dilated pupils that shone with suddenly found brightness. "We're trying to _protect_ you. There's too many dangers for a lone, injured DragonBorn around here... And, mind you, I _do_ recognise what I just said, and, yes, I did call you a DragonBorn. Tell me, why are you surprised? I thought you would be accustomed to it, by now."

"But... What is a Dragon... Born...?"

Hiccup asked, his fury levelled to a more relaxed emotion. Still panting, with slightly narrowed eyes, he frowned, tilting his head in confusion. Scraping the top of his boot lightly across the ground, making out a complex star symbol, he murmured quietly; "I don't understand... What... Why...?"

The man looked down at the symbol, eyes widening slightly.

Casting a look at it, and then back at him, he took a deep breath, hurt shining in the back of his eyes. Soft words rolled off his tongue, before he sighed, his huge, scarred, black wings studded by silver scales on the underside, tucking close.

"I'm actually not absolutely surprised. Merely disappointed, that Odin, despite his re-known desire for secrecy, dared to keep it a secret from the last hope of an entire realm, and the other ten to boot. But, as I said, I'm not surprised. Ever since Starflight and I left... The existence of the DragonBorn faded into a gentle, mysterious, dark shroud of legends and memories that only the gods, and the oldest of ages can remember."

"It is not your fault, young one. Nor is it your dragon's, your friends, or your fellow Draconians."

He frowned a little at that, and Hiccup wondered, for not the first time, just who this Humanblaka _was_ , and _what_ he had to do with him.

Then, recalling what he said, ' _keep it a secret from the last hope of an entire realm, and the other nine to boot_ ' his mind wavered. Did he correct the man for his mistake, or stay silent? There were only nine realms, everyone knew that, even mortals who only knew the simple basics, from words and books.

"Emm... Whoever you are... There's only... Well, nine... Realms..." Hiccup was rather quiet, something that was rare; what was wrong with him lately?

By now this man would be pinned to the ground... By a... Wait... Since when did he do that?

His head snapped up at the man's knowing, yet somewhat sad smile. "You'll see." He said, before stepping forward, and resting the tip of his wing on the Shur'tugal's shoulder. Hiccup's eyes followed.

"Come. It is cold, rain is coming- don't question how I know that, I shall explain later- but first, we should return to the cave." The larger and darker-winged Humanblaka stepped around him, in primal stance and walking with lithe elegance. "It is not safe out here, especially when night falls. I will explain everything to you, and your dragon, when we get back."

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

"Ughhh... Would you two _shut up_?!" Snotlout snarled, shaking a fist at the twins. They just grunted, continuing to bicker with one another about the dangers of what could be in the forest, and how 'awesome' it would be.

Astrid sighed, listening to them. Despite knowing they could handle almost anything, she was still unnerved by it all, as her shivering hand was resting on Stormfly's neck.

The Deadly Nadder crooned, twisting her neck around to nudge her hand, the blue scales cold.

"Do you think there's any new dragons around here? I mean, no one has ever seen or heard of this island, ever before... Not even Bork!"

She turned to the voice, which was Fishlegs, as did everyone else.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Astrid said. "But I hope that isn't the case. It's already creepy here."

Tuffnut smirked, gently pulling Belch down to hover over Snotlout, perched on his menacing, large Monstrous Nightmare's neck. "I bet there is... A huge, enormous beast the size of a Screaming Death, with razor sharp teeth and massive pincers that can snap a dragon in two... ON ITS _FACE_. With wings that can cut through trees, claws that can slice rocks and acid that melts flesh _right off the bone_!" **[1]**

Fishlegs and Astrid groaned, watching as Snotlout whined a little, scared by the concept of the non-existent dragon that would kill them all. Regardless, they were pleased that the twins could bring back some familiar light to the group.

"Well, whether or not there is a menacing, massacre-raging pincer-faced dragon around, we need to on full caution, wary and shar-"

 _Snap._

Fishlegs squeaked a little, clutching tightly onto Meatlug, his Gronckle. "What was that...!"

"I don't..." Astrid's words faded, as loud wing-beats from above pounded strong, furious, cold winds upon them, ruffling their hair and making the lighter-weighted dragons fight for balance.

Looking up, and the blonde viking gasped; circling above were three enormous (about a third of the size of a _Red Death_ ), glittering dragons, one black-blue-purple, one a dark grey, and the last a shimmering sapphire blue. Their dazzling, jewel-like scales lit by the moonlight, their heads each tilted to look at them, illuminated eyes piercing the tension with slightly narrow slits. Slowly, those eyes flickered over to the trees in front of them, beside the clearing being a river with multiple jagged rocks.

"Be ready!" Astrid shouted, the group taking positions, just as a _winged_ man walked through the tree cover, pushing aside a branch, and lifting his head. Immediately, their jaws dropped, and one word was shouted from each of the stunned riders.

"... _Silus?!_ "

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

Two Skulblakas flew abreast from each other, gliding over the vast plains surrounded by mountains and stunning scenery. The crisp, clear blue skies were filled with white and puffy clouds, as frolicking Flying Gators and Marsh Tigers danced with swoops and dives, dips and turns, and everything that made dragon-kind beautiful and powerful.

But, Skulblakas were dominant, Starflight told Toothless, as they flew, their black scales shining and sparkling in the bright sunlight of noon.

Toothless snorted, gently tilting his wings to pull up a little, before levelling out again.

He stared up at his 'mentor', who apparently could teach him more than he already knew. The Skulblaka didn't really believe it...

Although Starflight probably could; considering he was absolutely enormous, at least three times his size, and definitely the type that could easily go front-up and wrestle with a Red Death, and win. It was no wonder that Starflight... Well, he had 'flight' in his name for a reason, and probably spent a lot of time in the air, where no boundaries existed. Most other Skulblakas he knew, were at a century years old, and were only half his size, so Toothless naturally guessed he was past that age. Could also explain why he'd never heard of him before.

 _Now, Toothless, do you know what shape air is?_ Starflight asked, his voice strong and powerful, dripping with the wisdom and knowledge worth hundreds upon hundreds of years.

Toothless snorted, and freely loop-de-looped, twisting his long, gleaming, muscular and lithe body upside down and around, finishing by flicking the tips of his wings to above before letting them fall back into the glide. _The air has no shape, or form,_ He stated simply, _And the one who flies in the sky, shapes it with their wings, into whatever they please and so desire._

The huge black dragon laughed, his rumbling voice echoing down below for all to hear.

 _They have taught you well, Skulblaka. Much better than your rider seems to have been..._ Starflight's tone took on a more curious ring. _That makes me curious. What is training like in the modern day, especially for the Shur'tugalar? I can see from your extensive knowledge, so far, that dragons get the relatively same treatment we oh so deserve. As rulers of the vast, open skies, it seems just for us to receive such knowledge and strength... But so do our beloved riders._

He snorted, scratching his neck a little, looking at the larger dragon. _Hard to say... We just... Train. Never really give it a second thought... Although we train in 'classes' most of the time, in a group, usually with our team members, under one of the teacher's methods._

 _Ah, I see._ Starflight nodded in understanding.

 _It wasn't so, when we were trained; we had personal trainers, although sometimes those mentors would have two or three pairs, rather than just the one. We never had that experience._

Toothless nodded, turning his large head away again. He mentally noted down how he said 'had' and spoke in the past, which most likely meant Starflight and his rider were, indeed, Draconian Shur'tugal and Skulblaka, at least, at some stage...

Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO

The silver-white dragon lifted its huge head, sparkling in the bright lights of the snowy mountains it inhabited.

Its massive, shimmering, pearlescent wings spread, and it dived down, gliding into the clouds as the magnificent creature released a haunting, spine-chilling roar, sounding all over the north, announcing the great news.

The DragonBorn had arrived. It was time.

Another dragon awoke, curled in the volcano that it rested in. With claws longer and sharper than any other, fire said to be as hot as the sun, and scales black as ash, it took flight in the erupting volcano, soaring and roaring its own cry;

The DragonBorn had arrived. It was time.

Finally, a huge dragon, sat upon the dark throne of the Twilight Tower, long asleep for thousands upon thousands of years, opened its glowing, haunting icy blue eyes, for the first time in ages long passed.

The ten torches on the walls magically lit with blue fire, and it opened its mouth, releasing a loud, echoing shriek that rang out over the land for miles. Its great and terrible cry shook the earth, striking fear and awe alike into the hearts, minds and souls of all who heard. Lightning cackled outside in now stormy skies, and shot all over the alpha dragon's body, powering its strength, before it rose, and flew out the roof of the huge tower, flying high and setting out on its journey.

The DragonBorn, after centuries of waiting, of blood, violence, and death, of _war_ , had arrived.

It was time.

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **-References-**

 **[1] –** There is an actual OC Dragon Species of mine that fits this description, named the 'Slaughter Menace'. And they're nasty devils... Very. Nasty. Don't go into that forest at night. DO. NOT. Especially on a full-moon...

 **Oo-oOo-oO**

 **This Is War**

 **Part Two – Over The Years**

 **Part Two Epilogue**

 **Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO**

 **Next Chapter:**

 **EXTRA 1/3: Mentally Unstable [Chapter 36.33]**

 **A/N:**

 **Well, this was late... But I think I've handed out a nice dose of teasing here, so I guess that's what matters. Thanks for reading!**

 **EXTRA 1/3: Mentally Unstable [Chapter 36.33]**

 **EXTRA 2/3: Red Rage (Near Death Accident) [Chapter 36.66]**

 **EXTRA 3/3: We'll Always Love You [Chapter 36.99]**

 **DRAGONITES UNITE!**

 **-Crystallion12**

 **Oo-oO-oOo-Oo-oO**


	42. Important AN- Please Read (Rewrite!)

**This Is War (Old/First Edition, Discontinued)**

 **IMPORTANT- Author's Note:**

Hey guys. How are you? Hope you're feeling dragon-tastic! ;P

But, well, I'll cut to the chase. I aren't satisfied with this version of TIW, so it's being discontinued, and re-written, or re-mastered, in the new one that's now up. As of right now, on the _16_ _th_ _of December, 2016_ , the Prologue and first chapter of Part One, 'The Night Fury and his Rider', are published and up for reading.

 _Part 1, Prologue- An Occupational Hazard_

 _Part 1, Chapter 1- A Split Arrow_

 _Part 1, Chapter 2 (Coming soon)- Choices_

Also, the story will be beta'd by _Introvert-Dragon_ (for the most part, unless he/she isn't available) and my good pal _NatBlake's_ helping out too. Thanks guys!

I really appreciate all the love and dedication you lot have given me over the last year or so in this story. I still can't believe I even got past fifty followers… That's tremendous, and I can't possibly hope it'll happen again- although if it did, I'm officially baking a thousand cookies for you all. ;) So this is a huge thank you, for everything. I love you all!

Well, that's all from me. Happy Snoggletog, guys.

And, for the last time in TIW, Old/First Edition, I'll give my signout.

DRAGONITES UNITE!

 **-Crystallion12**


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